Midnight Magic: A Cinderella Story
by Miki Mechetta
Summary: Stolen memories, midnight magic, and a handsome prince come together to give this famous fairy-tale new life. It's a Cinderella story staring Jack, what more do you need to know?
1. Once Upon A Time

Lady Frost drew her horse to a halt before her home and smiled up at the mansion, her frosty-blue eyes sparkling in delight at the welcome sight. It had been a long and exhausting two days, but everything had gone well and Toothiana had delivered the baby without issue. The kingdom finally had a princess.

"May I help you down, My Lady?"

The question startled the woman from her musings and she glanced down to see her head groom standing by her side. When had he shown up? The thought made her smile, clearly she was far more exhausted than she'd realized.

Brushing aside her musings, Lady Frost took the groom's offered hand and said, "Yes, Claude. Thank you."

The second her feet touched the ground, the sound of little feet rushing across the ground reached her ears and a young voice called out, "Mama! You're home!"

With an amused laugh, Lady Frost turned and knelt down to greet her son, gathering him into her arms with a joyful cry of, "Yes am I, my darling! I missed you, so!"

The white-haired child held tightly to his mother as he whispered, "I missed you, too."

Then he drew back and looked up into the familiar face that was so much like his own, and asked, "Is the baby okay?"

Lady Frost smile tiredly and nodded. "Yes, my little one, she's fine."

The answer made the little boy's eyes widened in delight. "She? It's a princess? How big is she? Is Aster excited? Does she look like him?"

Well accustomed to her child's antics, the Lady picked out the most poignant of the questions and answered it, ignoring the others. "I'm sure he is, darling, but I'm afraid I was too busy with the queen to see him. You'll just have to ask him yourself at the party."

The child's eyes widened even further and his lips quirked up into and excited grin. "A party? Really? I can go!"

Lady Frost grinned back and said, "Well, you are seven-years-old now. I think that's old enough to go to a party, don't you?"

The child frowned at the reminder of his age and sounded just a little sulky when he said, "You missed the magic hour."

The comment made Lady Frost wince and drew her child close once more as she whispered, "I know, I know, but the little princess decided to come for your birthday and I couldn't leave the queen all alone, now could I?"

The child nodded and then smiled once more. "At least you're here now! I thought you'd miss the whole day!"

The woman looked down at her happy child and silently thanked the moon that he was so good-tempered as she asked, "Did you at least save me a sweet from your birthday lunch?"

"Save you a sweet?" said an amused voice that drew the attention of both mother and son to the speaker, a young man dressed in a simple, blue tunic who was walking across the courtyard to join the pair. "My Lady, Jack refused to even _touch_ his birthday treats until you were home."

Lady Frost's mouth dropped open in surprise as she looked between her son and his tutor, but neither of them was laughing, so it couldn't be a joke… "Did you really, darling?"

The child nodded firmly, looking quite pleased with himself as he said, "Yes! It's not a birthday lunch without you!"

Lady Frost could only laugh in surprise. She'd never known her son to hold himself back from treats, he really was growing up! But that was a matter to dwell on later, right now just she needed to push back her exhaustion a little longer and celebrate her child's birthday. After she bit back a yawn, the Lady stood up and said, "Well then, I'm here now! Let's go see if those treats of yours still taste good!"

* * *

Lady Frost yawned and then smiled embarrassedly at her son, who was looking at her with worry-filled eyes. Ever since she'd helped with the birthing two weeks ago, the Lady had seemed to be constantly exhausted. No matter how long she slept, she woke up feeling horrible. Sometimes she'd even have tears in her eyes, but she couldn't understand why. Her dreams were always so peaceful…

At least she'd be able to seek some advice tonight. If anyone knew how to deal with sleep issues it was the Queen's brother: Sanderson, the dream mage.

With that happy thought in mind, Lady Frost glanced out of the carriage's window and smiled when she saw the palace drawing near.

"Look, Jack! Isn't it grand?"

The question did its job, distracting the child from his worries and drawing his mind towards thoughts of the party as he glanced out of the window and studied the grand building that they were quickly approaching. After a moment, he shrugged and looked back at his mother. "It's pretty, but the winter palace is much nicer."

Lady Frost smiled sadly at the thought of their home. It had been many moons since they'd left. "Do you really miss it, darling?"

Jack nodded and returned his gaze to the approaching castle as he replied, "I think so. I can't tell if what I think I remember is a dream, though."

Though she knew it was probably a bad idea, Lady Frost couldn't help saying, "Tell me what you remember."

At his mother's command, Jack closed his eyes and began to describe the image in his mind's eye. "The palace was white, like fresh snow, and all around it were evergreens. I remember walking there with Papa on moonlit nights when he'd teach me the ways of our magic, but I can't remember the words. I remember fires, constant fires in every room and I remember that we used to curl up next to the one in my room and read books."

Jack opened his eyes now and looked at his mother questioningly. "Is that what it was like there or is it all a dream?"

Lady Frost sighed and looked out of her window, unable to face her son as she replied, "Yes, that's what it was like."

"Will we ever go back?"

The question startled the lady, dragging her attention away from the view and back to her son. "Of course we'll go back! Now that the princess has been born and Queen Toothiana has no more need of my help, I see no reason why we shouldn't return home before the years end."

The words made the child grin. "Promise?"

"Yes, I swear it by the moon, my darling."

Jack nodded and leaned back in his seat as he declared, "Good! I miss snow... At least, I think I miss it."

The comment made his mother laugh and the remainder of the journey was carried out in a pleasant silence as both of the northern nobles watched the palace grow ever closer.

Neither one of them mentioned the other thing that they both missed, the thing that was no longer waiting for them and the true reason for their journey to the south: Lord Frost.


	2. There Was A Party

Jack leaned over the bassinet and looked down at the new baby with wide eyes. He'd never seen something so tiny before! After a moment's hesitation, he carefully reached out to touch the baby's face with trembling figures, curious to see if her skin was as soft as it looked, only to have his hand grabbed and pulled away from the baby as a loud voice exclaimed, "Don't go rubbing your grubby hands all over my sister!" right in his ear.

"Owww, Aster! Not so loud!" Jack cried, glaring at the dark-skinned boy currently holding onto his arm.

Aster glared right back, tightening his hold on Jack's arm and growling lightly. He was clearly trying very hard to look threatening, but the effect was somewhat undermined by the chocolate smudged across his face.

When he realized what his friend was doing, Jack rolled his eyes and shook his arm free as he said, "And my hands are not grubby! You're just being overprotective."

Aster blinked in surprised and then returned to glaring as he replied, "And you're just jealous that I have a baby sister!"

Jack frowned and was ready to stalk off to see if he could figure out where Aster had gotten that chocolate from when a thought struck him. A mischievous grin stole across pale lips as Jack crossed his arms and said, "_You're_ just jealous that Elana and I have the same birthday!"

Aster opened his mouth and then shut it. Then he opened it again, but no words came out. By the time he finally said, "No you don't! You were born the day before her!" Jack was grinning evilly and it was clear to both boys who had probably won the fight, but that didn't mean that Aster was going to just give up!

With a determined glare, the green-eyed child said, "You were born at _Midnight_, which is the _end_ of the day, _not_ the beginning."

Jack shook his head, still grinning as he explained, "Midnight _starts_ the day, so that means that we were born on the same day."

The comment made Aster's scowl deepen and he grabbed Jack's hand, dragging the smaller boy away from the cradle and across the ballroom to where his parents were currently sitting. When they reached the dais upon which the royal thrones had been placed, both boys bowed low for a moment and then Aster rushed to his mother's side and clutched at her leg with a loud cry of, "Mommy, Jack says that he and Elana have the same birthday!"

After taking a moment to process what her son was complaining about, Queen Toothiana glanced across the room to where a nurse was currently watching over the princess and sighed. The child had only been out of her womb for two weeks and Aster was already fighting other boys over her honor. Well, at least this fight didn't involve swords.

When he realized that his mother wasn't going to speak without a little prompting, Aster let out a high-pitched whine of, "Mommy!" that drew Toothiana's attention back to her eldest child.

When she saw the pleading look in his eyes that practically begged her to prove him right, she couldn't help but smile when she said, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but they do."

Jack beamed at the queen's decree, but Aster wasn't giving in that easily. Widening his spring-green eyes as much as he could, he looked up at his mother and asked, "Do they _really_ share a birthday if he was born at midnight?"

The queen sighed again as she realized that this little question would need a far more definitive answer if she wanted to get any peace tonight. With that thought in mind, she leaned down to her son's level, wincing slightly at the pain that came from stretching the still tender skin of her stomache, and said, "Aster, sweetie, midnight is the magic hour that binds together one day and the next. It's counted as a part of both cycles, the beginning and the ending all at once so, yes, Jack and Elana share a birthday."

When the queen finished speaking, Aster St. North, the only son of King Nicholas St. North and Queen Toothiana St. North, high prince and heir apparent to the throne of the southern kingdom, pouted.

Her son's sulking stance filled the exhausted queen with exasperation. Honestly, why couldn't he take defeat gracefully just this once? After letting out an exasperated breath, the queen began to chastise her son by saying, "Oh, Aster, I swear by the moon..."

"Who's my mother talking to?"

Jack's question drew the queen's chastisement up short and she looked up to see that the white-haired child's attention was focused on a spot across the ballroom. When she followed the boy's gaze, Toothiana found herself staring at a sight that transported her back many years, to the long ago days before their children had been born. To a time when Tootiana St. North had been Toothiana Hopewell and Emma Frost had been Emma Dupree. A time when Emma had only just met the man who would one day be her husband and long before she'd lost him to that terrible sickness. A time when Emma never stopped smiling like she was right now.

Toothiana was so caught up in her memories that she didn't even glance at the man Emma was talking to until Jack said, "Your Highness, do you know who he is?"

After taking a moment to regain her composure, the queen looked at the man by Emma's side and said, "That, my dear Jack, is Lord Pitchner."

"Pitchner?" Jack repeated, not even trying to hide his distaste for the strange name.

"Yes, Lord Pitchner," the queen repeated, giving Jack a pointed look to remind him of his manners as she added, "Why did you want to know?"

Jack shrugged and glanced back over at his mother as he warily replied, "Because she never looks like that at anyone but me…"

There was something about the way that Jack said those words that struck a chord in the young prince's heart. Without another thought, he reached out, taking the sad boy's pale hand in his tan one and locking their fingers together.

The touch startled Jack for a moment, but then he smiled at the prince and allowed the older boy to lead him away from the dais and out into the crowd.

The queen watched them go with a curious look on her face, for it was the first time she'd ever seen her son show his soft side to anyone but her.

Her silent contemplations were quickly broken by a swarm of guests, each of whom was eager to congratulate the queen on the birth of her daughter now that the prince was no longer commanding his mother's full attention and so Toothiana forgot all about the incident until the night's end when she went searching for her son, only to find him and Jack curled up under one of the tables, fast asleep and surrounded by discarded chocolate wrappers.


	3. And A Wedding

The wedding of Lady Emma Frost and Lord Kozmotis Pitchner was a grand event and all the Nobility came. For most, it was a happy occasion, a day to celebrate, but that joy was not shared by all. While the others danced, ate, and sang, one little boy sat in the corner, watching the festivities and remembering a promise to return to a land of ice and snow that he now believed he'd never see again.

On the other side of the ballroom, Aster sat at his mother's side, watching as the newlyweds danced their first dance as a bonded couple.

After watching for a few moments, Aster grew bored and decided to ask the question that had been bothering him ever since the ceremony. "Mommy?"

"Yes dear?" Queen Toothiana asked absentmindedly, barely paying attention to her son as she watched the dance.

"Why did they glow earlier?"

The question brought the queen back to reality and she turned to look down at her eldest child with a smile. "You mean at the bonding ceremony?"

The prince nodded and then waited for his mother to explain.

"Well, when two mages are married, their power bonds together and becomes shared. Do you understand?"

"So the glow was…?"

"Their powers. Do you remember what color goes with each power?"

Aster nodded again and then recited the list that had been drilled into him by his tutors. "Blue for winter and green for summer, the arts that lie without. White for healing and purple for mind, the arts that reside within. So does that mean Lord Pitchner has Lady Frost's powers now?"

The queen laughed and shook her head. "It's a little more complicated than that, sweetie, and I don't think this is the time for lessons. Now that the first dance has finished, it's time for us to go and congratulate the newlyweds!"

"It is also time to dance!" the king added in his booming voice as he rose to his feet and offered his wife his hand. "This is the first party in ages where I can dance with my beautiful wife and I mean to take full advantage of it."

Toothiana smiled at her husband and placed her tiny hand in his massive one. "As do I."

As his parents exchanged looks that Aster was too young to understand, the young prince began to scan the room for a sign of Jack. The prince hadn't spoken the blue-eyed boy since Elana's party, a full three months prior, and he'd missed his friend.

When he finally spotted the familiar mop of white hair, he was surprised to find that Jack was hiding in the corner of the room, watching the dancers with a frown on his face.

Curious as to why his friend looked so sad, Aster got up from his seat and made his way along the edge of the room until he came to Jack's side.

"Is something wrong?"

The question made Jack jump in surprise, as the young lord had been too busy brooding to notice his friend's approach.

As Aster giggled at Jack's startled reaction, the young lord regained his composure, shook his head, and said, "No."

"Then why do you look so sad?" Aster asked with a frown.

Jack shrugged, shuffled his feet, and didn't answer.

By now the prince knew his friend was lying, but he didn't know what to do about it. How could he make Jack smile again?

As he tried to figure out what to do, Aster glanced out towards the party and saw a young man bending down and holding out his hand to a young lady. The woman smiled and took the offered hand, then allowed the man to lead her to the dance floor where they began to twirl and spin to the music. Their shared smiles reminded Aster of the looks on his parent's faces when they spoke of dancing. If dancing made people happy…

"Do you want to dance?"

Jack's awkward frown morphed into a look of surprise as he looked up at Aster and said, "Huh?"

A wide grin spread across the prince's face as Aster bowed low and held out his hand towards Jack. "Would you care to dance with me, Lord Frost."

"Dance?"

The questioning manner in which Jack said that word made Aster realize a potential flaw in his plan: had Lady Frost hired a dance instructor?

"You do know how to dance, right?"

"Of course," Jack replied, looking a little offended at the insinuation that he wouldn't.

For a moment, all Aster felt was relief, but then confusion set in and he asked, "What's wrong, then?"

"We're both boys!" Jack exclaimed as if that was an obvious issue, but Aster didn't see what the problem was and he said as much.

Jack's answer of, "But if we're both boys, who will lead?" made Aster smile once more.

"Me, of course."

The reply made Jack frown as he asked, "Why do you get to lead?"

"Because I'm taller than you!" Aster answer, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice, but it was hard! His hand was getting tired from being held out for so long and Jack hadn't said yes _or_ no yet. Aster knew that you couldn't put your hand down until you got an answer, that was the rule, so he had to wait. He just hoped that Jack would make up his mind soon!

The prince was in luck. Apparently his word had made sense to Jack since the smaller boy smiled shyly and placed his hand in Aster's as he said, "Okay, you can lead."

Aster smiled back in relief and then lead Jack out onto the dance floor to join the others.

Queen Toothiana was the first to notice the two children dancing their simple dance amidst the throng of adults and she called her husband's attention to the sight with a delighted cry of, "Oh, Nicholas, look."

The king followed her gaze and then began to laugh as he said, "Only eight years old and already our son is catching beauties!"

But Jack and Aster were oblivious to all of this as they twirled across the room, somehow finding the perfect rhythm so that neither of them was truly the leader or the follower. Instead, they danced as partners, equals in every way.

It would be ten years before they saw each other again and longer still before they danced.


	4. But Then Tragedy Struck

Aster peaked into his mother's private chamber and saw that she was at it again, holding baby Elana close and staring out of the window at nothing. Though her current position was all the answer he needed, he clung to the hope that today would be different as he asked, "Mother, is there any news?"

At the sound of his voice, the queen sighed and turned away from the window to look at her child. For a moment, she didn't do anything, choosing instead to study the young boy standing in her doorway. He was growing taller by the day and she knew that he'd soon tower over her, but right now he was still small enough to fit into the circle of her arms and so she motioned for him to come to her, then drew him close with the arm that wasn't holding the baby.

Aster let himself be held, burying his face in his mother's dress and inhaling the familiar, comforting sent of her perfume as he waited for her to speak.

When she did, the words were exactly what he'd expected, "No, sweetie. No news."

Aster didn't say anything in reply. Instead, he clutched tighter to his mother's dress and listened as his baby sister made happy, gurgling noises.

The young prince wished he could be that innocent right now. That he could forget about the sickness that was currently threatening the lives of Lady Frost and her son, but he couldn't. The sickness was all he could think about.

* * *

While Aster sought comfort in his mother's arms, Lord Pitchner was staring down at his wife's body with a growing rage. Dead. She was dead! No! This couldn't be. He was supposed to have more time than this. More time to get her to change that damned will so that everything went to him instead of that little brat of hers. Why couldn't this sickness have held off just a few more months? Or, if it had to take her now, why couldn't it have taken her brat as well? But, no, the child just had to pull through…

"Sir?" a trembling voice asked, drawing the enraged lord from his silent broodings.

Lord Pitchner turned to find a young servant girl standing in the doorway to the chamber, looking as if she wanted to turn and flee.

The calming sight of such pure fear soothed his raged, but not enough for him to keep the snarl from his voice when he growled, "What?"

The girl gulped and began to physically tremble as she said, "I, I, I was told to let you know that, that the…"

"Spit it out, girl! Stop wasting my time!" Pitch cried as his limited patience gave out.

"The kitchen boy has died, sir!" the girl finished in a rush as her eyes widened in fear.

The news did nothing to better Lord Pitchner's mood. Another servant lost to this blasted illness. At this rate, he'd have to hire an entirely new staff! No, that wasn't right, he wouldn't, Jack would. Because Jack would inherit all of this wealth and Lord Pitchner would wind up living back in the grubby townhouse that was all he had. If only he could switch his step-son with that kitchen boy…

In that moment, what had been an idle thought suddenly blossomed into an idea. Would it be possible? Could he do that? Well, there was no harm in trying, right? Right, but no one could know Emma was dead yet. The second that happened, he'd be stuck playing the grieving widower.

As Lord Pitchner began to plot, he glared at the kitchen maid and said, "Yes, good, you are dismissed! Let no one touch the body, I don't want anyone else getting this blasted sickness. We must summon the coroner for the boy and the doctor for my lady; I believe she will not last the night. Now go and tell one of the stable hands to do so and have both men report to me before they do anything!"

As the girl fled, Lord Pitchner began to weave at spell around himself. An aura of invisibility that would make all who looked at him forget his presence. The moment the spell was cast, he fled the room and ran towards the kitchens. He had to be quick. He had to get there before the dead boy's memories faded away.

* * *

Lord Pitchner looked down at the kitchen boy's body and grinned. It seemed that the girl had been sent to find him as soon as the child had died and so the boy's memories were still here, but they were fading quickly.

With a snap of his fingers, Lord Pitchner grabbed hold of the dead boy's memories and drew them to himself. There was no resistance from the child, but that was to be expected. Only the living could fight back.

As soon as Lord Pitchner had securely sealed the child's memories within his own mind, he extended the aura of his magic over the boy and picked up the body, carrying it with him through the mansion and into his step-son's room.

Once the lord was sure that no one else was present, he closed the bedroom door and seal it shut, then he turned to look at the two boys before him.

It was as he'd hoped, Jack and the dead boy were nearly identical in height. The plan would work!

With a wicked grin, Lord Pitchner began to craft the most powerful spell he'd ever wielded, using his mind magic to create an aura that would make all who looked on the dead boy see frosty-white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin while all who looked on Jack Frost would see dull-eyes that were the color of mud, wiry hair that was the dark-brown of mahogany, and sun kissed skin. The spell took up nearly all of his magic reserves, but by the time he was finished, none who looked at his step-son would recognize the boy as Jack Frost.

Now there was only one task to complete. Reaching within his own mind, Lord Pitchner drew out the faded tatters of the dead boy's memories and placed them within Jack's mind. He could not steal Jack's memories, the child's magic was too strong for that, but he could repress them, replacing them with the dead servant's faded ones.


	5. And Thus Does Our Story Truly Begin

When the doctor arrived, Lord Pitchner was waiting for him at the door. The moment the physician saw the look on the lord's face, he knew that it was too late.

Still, it was only proper that he ask, "Is she…?"

The lord nodded and motioned for the doctor to come inside as he replied, "Yes, I think so. Her and the boy."

"The boy?" the doctor asked as his eyes widened in shock. "What, you don't mean Lord Jack? I thought his fever had broken!"

Lord Pitchner smiled sadly. "As did I, but when I went in to check on him he was… well, I only wish I could have been there to hold his hand as he passed. The thought of that child being alone when…"

The lord's tragic tale was cut short by the sound of hooves on the path and both men looked out of the door to see the coroner's cart pulling up before the house.

Once the coroner had pulled his cart to a stop, he got off and bowed low to Lord Pitchner as he said, "My lord, I'm here for the servant boy."

"Servant boy? What servant boy?" the lord asked, sounding quite perplexed.

The coroner rose from his bow and pointed back towards the town where he'd come from. "The man who came to fetch me said that another of your servants had been taken away by this horrid disease. At least, I was certain that it was one of your men, my lord, if it wasn't then…"

Lord Pitchner interrupted the man midsentence with an understanding cry of, "Ah, my apologies good sir! The fault does not lie with you. Indeed, I am certain that it was one of my men. When I told my servant girl to call for the doctor, I also told her that we would likely need the coroner soon, but she must have thought I wanted you fetched _now_. I don't know where she got the story about the servant boy from, but she was quite distraught and perchance my stable hand misheard her."

The coroner nodded in understanding. He knew quite well that the grieving were often hard to understand and so, with a tip of his hat, he moved to go back to his cart only to be stopped mid-stride by a cry of "wait!"

The cry made the coroner turn around and look at Lord Pitchner in confusion. "Is something wrong, my lord?"

With a heavy sigh, the lord nodded and began to speak with a trembling voice. "Yes, something is terribly wrong, for I, I have lost both of my heart's delights. You did not make the trip in vain, good sir. I am afraid that, once the good doctor has confirmed my fears, there are two bodies that you will need to prepare for burning."

The coroner gasped and the lord's words. "Two? You don't mean…"

"Yes," Lord Pitchner replied. "My wife and son are both dead and will need to be prepared for burning so that their bodies don't cause any more sickness. Though I would ask that you return their ashes to me. My beloved's wish was to be scattered to the winds and I would see that wish fulfilled."

The grief in the lord's voice touched the hearts of both the coroner and the doctor, prompting the doctor to say, "Let me look at them first. Perhaps you were mistaken."

Fragile hope lit up the lord's eyes and he nodded before leading the two men to his wife's chamber, but it proved to be in vain. Lady Frost was indeed gone and, when the doctor checked on the lady's young son, he found that the child had followed his mother into the great unknown.

With heavy hearts, the three men silently carried the two bodies down to the coroner's cart and, as the coroner drove the bodies away, Lord Pitchner began to weep.

When the doctor and the servants saw the lord's sorrow, they all respectfully bowed their heads and allowed the lord to wander back into the mansion on his own so that he could grieve in private. A gift the lord gratefully took.

As soon as he was sure that no one was following him, Lord Pitchner stopped crying and wiped away the fake tears as he hurried to the mansion's attic, to a locked room in which the still sleeping Jack Frost lay.

When he reached the room, Lord Pitchner quietly stepped inside and looked down at the sleeping child as a cruel smile spread across his face. All was going according to plan, for the burning would mean that no one of any real magical ability would see the bodies and sense the disguising aura around the fake child. Now all that remained was to make sure that no one would question the appearance of a new servant in the house.

* * *

When Jack woke up, he didn't know where he was. All he knew was that he felt weak, tired, and hungry! Oh so very hungry! As he glanced around the small room that he'd woken up in, he noticed a bowl of soup sitting by his bed. He didn't know how long it had been there, but he didn't care. It was food!

He grabbed the bowl and, within minutes, he'd slurped down the entirety of his cold meal.

He was just licking the last little bits of broth from the bowl when the room's door opened and an unfamiliar girl entered. When she saw that Jack was sitting up, she smiled and said, "Ah, you're awake and moving. Good! I need someone to stoke the fires."

Jack blinked in surprise. Stoke the fires? Since when had he… wait, no, he knew how to stoke a fire, though the memory was a little hazy and didn't seem to be getting any clear. He shook his head, trying to dispel the fog from his mind, but the only thing he succeeded in doing was gaining a strange look from the girl. The girl whose name he still didn't know. He should fix that.

With a hesitant smile, he looked up at the girl and asked, "Who are you?"

The question made the girl laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that you wouldn't know what with you being sick these past few days. I'm Pippa, the new kitchen maid. Lord Pitchner dismissed the old one along with most of the staff, said they reminded him of his wife, but he kept you on."

"Why?" Jack asked as he tried desperately to remember who in the world Lord Pitchner was.

Pippa shrugged. "He told cook that your mum died of the plague along with the others and that you didn't have no place to go. I guess he felt sorry for ya…"

Pippa suddenly paused mid-sentence as a funny looked crossed her face. Then she said, "Huh, I just realized I don't know your name. What is it?"

Jack tried to remember, surely he had to have a name, but nothing came to mind. After a few moments of trying, he stared at the girl and whispered, "I, I, I don't remember."

"You don't… well, I'm sure it'll come to you in time. Sickness does weird things to the brain. For now, the important things are do you remember how to stoke a fire and do you remember where the master bedroom is?"

Jack nodded and slowly rose to his feet as he said, "I think so."

"Good! The Lord will be back from the funeral soon and he'll be expecting a clean fireplace with a warm fire. Go see to that and then come back to the kitchens. There's loads of work to be done and only you and I to do it."

"Only us?" Jack asked in surprise. His memory might be hazy, but he was sure that there had been loads of servants before.

Whatever his memory told him, it clearly wasn't true now because the girl was nodding. "Us, the cook, two gardeners, and a stable hand are all that's left. The cook thinks our lord means to become a hermit, but I think he just plans to travel."

Pippa waited for a moment to see if Jack had a theory, but when he failed to answer, she merely shrugged and said, "Anyway, whatever the case may be, it's our job to keep this house clean, so we best get to it! Come on, now!"

Seeing no other options, Jack did as the girl instructed and headed off to stoke his master's fire while silently wondering just whose funeral was taking place.

He would have been shocked to find out that the funeral was, in fact, his own and he would have been still more surprised to see his friend Aster fighting back tears as Lord Pitchner walked to the edge of the palace's highest balcony with two, snow white urns in his hands.

Behind the lord stood a tiny crowd of people, the friends Lady Frost had made during her year-long stay in the south.

As the mourners looked on, the lord opened up the urns and said, "We return you to your element. May we think of you every time we see a winter's snow or feel a cool northern breeze."

When he finished speaking, the lord nodded to King Nicholas. The king nodded back and then summoned up a strong, winter breeze that pulled the ashes from the urns and sent them souring through the air, headed towards the northern land that had been the Frost's home.

The ceremony completed, the tiny group of mourners retired back into the palace for a subdued dinner during which Aster finally broke down and started to sob in his father's arms.

* * *

While all this was taking place, a young kitchen boy with mud-brown eyes tripped while cleaning out a fireplace and got himself covered in filth, thereby earning himself the nickname Ashes. Over time, when it proved that the boy would never remember his real name, the nickname was shortened to Ash and became his moniker. And so it was that Jack Frost grew up as a servant in his own home with no knowledge or memory of the person he once was or the life that had been stolen from him.


	6. 10 Years Later

Aster dodged the incoming blow, but only just barely. Any slower and he would've been a goner.

That little detail did not go unnoticed by his assailant who shouted, "Do you want to die, princeling?"

"No!" Aster replied as he dodged another blow.

"Then stop fleeing and fight me!"

The prince growled low in his throat and did just that, throwing blows as fast as he could.

The battling duo spun across the courtyard in a deadly dance of fists that ended with Aster pressed back against the wall with a hand clenched around his throat. He tried to struggle out of the grip, but he couldn't. The fight was over and he'd _lost_.

The realization stole the adrenaline from his system and drained the fire from his eyes as he unclenched his fists, signaling his surrender.

When she saw her opponent's silent show of defeat, his adversary removed her hand from the prince's throat and said, "You did well today, your highness. Most would've fallen to you."

His master's words brought the prince no comfort. What did it matter what most would've done if he'd still lost?

The master sensed her pupil's inner thoughts and chuckled lightly before saying, "How quickly you forget my first lesson, Your Highness."

"What lesson?" the prince asked absentmindedly as he walked towards the training ground's exit where a servant was waiting with a freshly dampened towel.

Instead of answering, his master remand silent for a moment, silently watching as her pupil stalked across the floor. It was only when he reached the waiting servant that she replied, "There will _always_ be a better fighter."

The words made Aster frowned as he grabbed the towel from the waiting servant and stalked out of the training room and into the hallway that lead towards his personal chambers. The proverb had never made sense to him. There had to be a best fighter, it was just the way the world worked!

Then he shook his head, banishing the confusing thoughts that always seemed to plague him after a training session. He could ponder his master's teachings later; right now he needed a bath.

As the enticing thought of cool water filled his mind, the prince glanced up and then stopped short. The normally empty hallway had an occupant, an occupant who was quite clearly waiting for him.

"Elana? What are you doing down her? Aren't you supposed to be studying magic with mother?"

At the sound of her brother's voice, the violet-eyed princess glanced up from her book and smiled before rising to her feet and walking towards him as she said, "I was, but we finished early and then mother sent me to fetch you. She and father are in the family chambers and wish to see us both as soon as possible."

"About what?" Aster demanded as he began to wipe the damp cloth in his hands across his bare chest to clear away the worst of the sweat that was currently soaking his body.

The harshness of his tone made the princess frown and she stopped several feet away before bowing low to the ground as she replied in a mocking tone, "Forgive me, _My Lord_, I did not think to ask. Shall I go find out and then come back here to tell you, _Your Grace_?"

When she'd finished her little speech, the princess glanced up at her brother and gave him her most dazzling smile as she patiently awaited his reply.

The sight made Aster wince. Somewhere along the line Elana had made it her personal mission to keep him humble and she was quite good at it, too.

After a moment of trying to figure out what to say, Aster sighed and smiled back, looking a little sheepish as he said, "Sorry, I was... well, anyway, you go on ahead and I'll be along shortly."

Elana nodded and stood up, knowing that those words were the closest thing she'd get to a full apology from her brother. Then turned around and she made her way towards passageway that lead towards the rooms where their parents were waiting. When she reached the turning, though, the princess stopped and glanced over her shoulder as an amused smile stole across her amaranth lips. "Though I know our parents do not require us to wear formal dress when in their presence, you might want to put a shirt on."

Then she was gone, off to their parent's chambers for who knew what and leaving Aster staring down at his still bare chest.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, the prince groaned and slung his now sweat dampened towel over his shoulder, not that the cloth had done much good. He was still glistening with perspiration from his training and now he had no time for a proper bath.

That thought just served to re-sour his mood as he stalked down the hallway to his chambers and threw open the door.

Once inside, he threw the towel on the ground and then grabbed the first shirt that he saw, a simple green tunic that he really only ever wore on the rare days when he wasn't expected in court. It was one of his least formal shirts, but he secretly loved wearing it when he went to see his parents. There was something alluring about knowing he was one of the only courtiers who could wear so simply a garment before the king and queen without reprimand.

When he'd finished adjusting the shirt, he left his chambers and took off down the passageway that his sister had gone down just a few minutes earlier. Within no time, he'd arrived before the oaken doors that lead to his parent's private chambers.

The prince didn't even bother to knock.

Instead, he threw open the doors and strode into the room with a loud exclamation of, "You wanted to see me?"

His parents, who had been pouring over a map that was spread across the room's largest table, looked up at the sound of their son's boisterous entry as their lips turned down into matching frowns.

Within moments, Aster had realized the purpose of this meeting, but he really shouldn't have been surprised. It was the same reason for every meeting these past few months, but apparently his mother had decided that they needed yet another one.

And clearly it had been her idea, since the king was looking a little sheepish and the the queen was starting off on one of her speeches. Before she could really get going, though, Aster groaned, cutting her off mid-sentence as he said, "_Mother_, we've been over this _a thousand_ times. I know all of the protocols; I know all of the rules! I'll be fine! Now can you can _please_ stop worrying."

The queen frowned and debated ignoring her son's plea, but then she decided that it wasn't worth the fight. He was right, after all, he had heard her lecture enough times in the past few months that he probably didn't need to hear it again, but there were other matters to discuss. Matters best handled by someone other than her if she wanted to get a straight answer.

With that thought in mind, she glanced at her husband, giving him a pointed look that prompted the king to clear his throat and ask, "Have you chosen your guardian?"

Aster smiled and nodded. Finally, they were discussing something new!

"Wonderful!" cried his father. "Who is it?"

Aster smirked, already anticipating his parent's reactions to his chosen companion as he replied, "Elana."

The monarchs' shocked cries of "what?" were given in perfect chorus, but the prince simply smiled and shrugged.

"You told me to pick the person that I trusted most in all the world and so I have. There is no one yet living that I trust more fully than my sister."

Neither of the sovereigns knew what to say in reply to that. It was the rule, after all, and the princess was practically glowing with joy at her brother's words. But then, she was far too young to remember reason why her brother had added the words "yet living" to his statement, far too young to remember a boy with hair the color of snow and eyes as blue as a winter sky.

When he was certain that his parent's wouldn't protest his choice, the prince added, "With your permission, we will go out tomorrow night to find the spot and make sure that it's safe, as is the custom."

Queen Toothiana frowned. It looked as if her son _had_ been paying attention to her lectures after all and now he was using them against her.

"Are you sure you don't want to take anyone else with you?" the queen asked as she glanced between her two children with a furrowed brow.

The prince nodded. "Yes, I'm quite sure and don't worry, mother. We will be dressed as commoners and the spot I've chosen is near Lord Pitchner's lands. No one would dare to attack someone so close to the home of such a powerful mage."

The queen sighed, but nodded. "You're right, of course, and it's not like you two will be defenseless."

The king laughed at his wife's statement and then added, "No indeed, my little warrior princess would be more than a match for any thief!"

Elana ginned at her father's compliment and Aster couldn't help but jokingly ask, "Hey, what about me?"

The king studied his son for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you'd be of some use to her. I can feel it in my belly!"

Elana giggled as Aster rolled his eyes before giving his father an annoyed glare.

The king just smiled back at his son and winked, then he looked at his wife and said, "Alright, now that the matter is settled, what say we send our son off for a bath?"

The queen grinned. "Yes indeed! You really do need one, Aster."

The prince scowled at his grinning parents. They knew full well why he was covered in sweat, but instead of complaining, he just gave a light bow and sarcastically commended them for such an excellent suggestion before turning around and stalking in from the room.

He didn't go alone, though. Elana followed him and, as soon as they were out of earshot of their parents, the girl asked, "Are you really going to let me be your guardian?"

Aster nodded and smiled down at his sister as he said, "Of course! Just remember that you don't want to bring any charms with you."

The princess grinned. "That's next time, silly. I can bring whatever I want for the scouting mission. Now, when do we leave?"

"We leave at moonrise tomorrow."

"Moonrise?" asked the princess with a puzzled from that made her brother laugh.

"Yes, I need to know how long the ride takes and it's easiest to track if we leave just as the moon rises."

"Okay," Elana agreed with a simle, "Moonrise it is!"

* * *

Moonlight filter through the trees as Jack rushed along the forest floor, glorying in the joy that was his one, small, stolen freedom: moonlight magic.

As Jack neared his destination, he slowed down so that he was simply walking by the time he could see the pond. The second his eyes fell upon the water's glassy surface, a wide grin spread across his face, but he couldn't have his fun just yet. He had to be careful, so he walked around the pond in a wide circle, making sure that no one else was there.

Once he was sure it was safe, Jack walked to the pond, bent down, and touched the tip of his finger to the water as he let out a touch of magic. Then he watched in delight as his powers began to coat the pond in a blanket of ice.

This was the only place that he felt safe enough to use his forbidden magic. The last time he'd done it at home, the only time he'd done it at home, Lord Pitchner had been furious.

The Lord had asked for a cool glass of water and Jack had thought that his, at the time, newly discovered ability would please his master, but it hadn't.

Instead, the servant boy had found himself without supper for the night, forbidden from ever using his powers again, and baring the mark of a handprint across his cheek.

The memory made Jack clench his fist. Oh how he longed to strike back, but he couldn't. He was a commoner and to strike a nobleman was a death sentence.

As he watched the pond freeze over, he imagined what it would be like on the day that he could finally leave his master's home, but then he sighed and banished the thought. That day was years away, if indeed it ever came. He'd been working for his master for ten years now and he still owed the man over half of the debt for the medicine. The medicine that had saved his life from an illness that he could barely remember.

As much as he hated his master, a debt was a debt and so he stayed.

The sound of branches cracking drew Jack from his silent musing as terror filled his heart. Had his master decided to go for a late night walk? No, that was impossible and why would his master come here? But what if it was him? What would he do if he found Jack before a frozen pond?

Jack was just about to bolt for the safety of the forest when two figures emerged from the woods and Jack almost sobbed with relief. It wasn't his master, just two random commoners. He could tell by their cloaks and boots that they were travelers of some sort, but what would bring travelers to these woods? There was nothing here, nothing for miles!

As he stared at the duo, the duo stared back and Aster's spring-green eyes met Jack's now mud-brown ones for the first time in almost ten years.

* * *

If you wanna see a picture of this first meeting, go to my deviantart: LadyFey101 and check out the mock-up I made!

P.S. Reviews make me write faster!


	7. The Boys Met Again

Aster stared at the man crouched by the water's edge for a moment and then glanced up at the sky. Based on the moon's position, it was well past ten and nearing eleven. What was this fool doing by himself in the middle of the forest so late at night?

Apparently Elana didn't share his concerns, because she was smiling at stranger and, even more worrisome, the stranger was smiling back and rising his feet.

Aster immediately braced himself for a fight, but the stranger didn't attack. He just smiled at them and said, "Hello."

The casual greeting almost made the prince's mouth drop open in shock. _Hello?_ Did this man not know who he was talking to? He should be groveling before them, not smiling and greeting them as friends.

Aster was just about to reprimand the stranger and demand he show proper respect when Elana spoke, returning the stranger's greeting and asking his name.

"My name?" the stranger asked, suddenly looking worried, but Aster didn't care. He was too annoyed at the man's impudence.

"Yes, we would know your name and, while you're at it, I would know your position as well."

"Would you now?" the man asked with raised eyebrows as his concerned look transformed to one of amusement.

The laughing tone in the man's voice made Aster's hands curl into fists as raged coursed through him. Did this man's impertinence know no end? Did he not realize that he was speaking to those who were clearly his betters?

The prince was so infuriated that, when he spoke again, his voice was little more than a growl. "My sister asked you a question and you _will_ answer it."

"Oh I will, will I?" The man replied with a smirk as he glanced at Elana with raised eyebrows and added, "Your brother is _quite_ charming, isn't he?

The princess giggled, pleased to finally see someone who wasn't her standing up to her brother, even if the stranger was only doing it because he didn't know that he was speaking to the prince.

Her giggles made the man smile as Aster stared at his sister in shock and let out a cry of, "Lana?"

The man instantly looked back at Aster as his smile turned into a grin of triumph. "Lana, is it? Why that's a lovely name."

Aster didn't reply, too annoyed with himself for having given away his sister's name to this man, even if it was only a childhood nickname.

The man ignored Aster's obvious displeasure and kept right on grinning as he said, "Well, since you told me hers, I _will_ tell you mine. My name is Ash and might I know your name as well, oh charming one?"

The prince glared at the man and replied, "I believe my name is none of your concern."

"And yet you demanded that I tell you mine? I was right, you truly are _quite_ charming. Well, if you don't tell me your name, then I'll just have to give you one of my own invention."

The suggestion made Elana's eyes light up in amusement and she let out a delighted cry of, "Oh, yes! Please do!"

Aster groaned and gave his sister a look that was positively brimming with disbelief. How could she be enjoying this? How was she not incensed at this peasant's impudence?

The princess merely smiled back and winked at her brother as the man grinned and said, "You know, I think know the perfect name for you. Why, it suits your personality marvelously!"

Aster rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from asking, "And what reprehensive title are you going to dub me?"

The prince's words were said in a harsh and biting tone, but Ash's smile didn't falter. In fact, if anything, it grew wider as he replied, "Charming, for that is what you are, quiet _wonderfully_ charming."

Elana began to laugh as Aster glowered at this strange man who dared to make fun of the high prince. It went beyond impudence. "And what manner of lord are you that you think you have the right to go around naming people?"

The question made Ash start lightly and then he glanced down at his clothing, the tattered brown pants and frayed cotton shirt before looking back at Aster and saying, "Why, I am Lord of the Forest and keeper of this pond, couldn't you tell by my resplendent wardrobe?"

Aster treated Ash to a disdainful grin as he mockingly said, "Ah, my apologies. And here I thought you were some form of imp, sent to torment weary travelers with your stupidity."

Ash just smiled back at the prince, but there was no joy in his eyes and the smile was almost a grimace.

When he realized that he'd finally gotten the upper hand in this little verbal sparring match, Aster's smiled grew absolutely wicked, but Elana spoke before he had the chance to berate Ash further.

"My apologies for my brother's harsh tongue, good sir. I'm afraid he knows not how to speak _kindly_ to any by myself."

These last few words were spoken in a harsh voice as Elana glared at her brother, somehow making Aster feel horribly ashamed of himself, though he didn't know why.

He expected the stranger to grin and shoot out another biting remark, but that was not what happened. Instead, the young man smiled at Elana and said, "The fault lies with both of us, dearest Lana. His words may have been harsh, but they were not unwarranted, for I speak naught but aggravating drivel, or so I am often told by my master."

"Your master?"

"Yes," Ash replied with a halfhearted smile. "I'm afraid that my claim of Lordship was a lie. In truth, I am but a servant in the home of one Lord Pitchner."

"Lord Pitchner?" Aster echoed, staring at Ash in shock.

"Yes, you know of him?" Ash asked, sounding more than a little surprised, but Aster didn't blame him for that. Lord Pitchner was a solitary man and few outside of the royal court knew his name.

The prince knew he'd have to answer this question carefully if he wanted to keep his identity a secret and he was surprised to realize that he did. While it had been horribly aggravating before, the idea of a man who didn't know that he spoke to his ruler was suddenly quite fascinating and so it was that the prince told a small lie.

"I know the name, but little else, mostly just fanciful stories."

"Stories? Of _my_ master?" Ash inquired with an incredulous air that made both of the royal siblings smile.

Aster tried to think up a decent answer, but Elana took the problem off of his hands. "They say that he only leaves his house for royal balls and that hardly anyone ever sees him. Some say he doesn't even keep servants, but that magic elves serve him instead."

The princess' story made Ash laugh and, when he's regained his voice, he said, "I assure you that I am no elf. Would that I was, for then I might be able to finish my chores for once."

"So you are both impudent _and_ lazy? My, my, if all his servants are like you, then I am _truly_ envious of Lord Pitchner," Aster replied with a mocking grin, but there was no bite to his word now and they made Ash laugh.

As the man's tried to quell his mirth, Elana gave her brother an approving smile. It was wonderful to see Aster treating someone who was so far beneath him with something other than distain and she promised herself that she would tell him that once they were home.

By now Ash had regain his voice and he sounded almost defensive when he said, "I'd like to see any two servants work harder than Pippa and I."

The statement almost went by uncommented upon, but the Aster realized just what Ash was implying. "You mean there are only two of you? For a house at large as Lord Pitchner's?"

"Well, there are two gardeners for the grounds and cook takes care of the meals, but everything else falls to Pippa and me," Ash explained with a shrug as if he didn't realize how strange it was for there to only be two servants in one of the largest homes in the country. Maybe he didn't?

Well, as fascinating as this little distraction had been, it was time that they took care of the task they set out to do for it was getting late and it was a long walk back to the inn where they'd left their horses and the ride home would not be brief. "It was… interesting to meet you, Ash, but I'm afraid we have a task to do. Come on, Lana."

To Aster's surprise, the princess shook her head and said, "You go ahead, I'll wait here with Ash."

The declaration made both men stare at the princess in shock as they chorused the word, "What?"

Elana smiled at her brother and then explained, "You're only going to scout around the area and you don't need me to go with you, I'd only slow you down. It's better if I stay here and wait where you can easily find me."

She did have a point, but Aster still couldn't help asking, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" the princess replied. "He's trustworthy and means me no harm, now go."

Aster nodded and was about to leave when Ash suddenly cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry, but how do you know that?"

"Know what?" the princess asked as she gave her new friend a curious glance that proved that she truly didn't understand what had him so baffled.

Aster couldn't help but chuckle. _He_ knew what Ash was referring too and he couldn't wait to see the man's face when he realized what Elana was.

Aster's chortle made Ash glance between the siblings in confusion before asking, "How do you know that I mean you no harm? It's true that I don't, but why are you so certain of that?"

Elana made an understanding sound and then grinned as she explained, "I can sense it. Don't worry, I haven't touched your mind, just felt your will."

The princess' words made Ash's brown eyes widened. "You're a mage?"

Elana shrugged and smiled, but Ash was suddenly very serious and he bowed low before the princess as he said, "My Lady Mage, well met and fair. My apologies for not showing you proper respect, but you do not bare the marking of a guild."

"I am no mage," Elana replied with an amused laugh. "I am merely a girl with a little training, but I'm sure you know what that's like seeing as you are clearly quite the magic user yourself if that pond is anything to go by."

Ash started and glanced behind him at the pond with a look of fright, as if he'd only just remembered something horrible.

Aster looked at the pond as well, curious what his sister meant and what had Ash so terrified. Then he saw it. Had it been day, he probably would have noticed in an instant, but he'd missed it in the moonlight: the pond was frozen solid.

"You're a frost mage?" Aster whispered in shock. Frost magic was rarely seen in the south and the only living frost mage that the prince knew of was his own father.

He expected Ash to make some joke, but the man didn't. He was too busy trembling as he looked between the royal siblings with wide eyes that were full of terror as he pleaded, "Please, I didn't mean any harm! I didn't! I swear!"

Elana and Aster traded startled glanced before looking back at Ash as the princess said, "Ash, what's wrong?"

"I, I used magic," he replied, as if that explained his strange reaction.

Seeing the confusion on the duo's faces, Ash tried once again to explain. "I know that the use of magic is forbidden to one of my class and I usually obey the laws wholeheartedly, it's just that I can't keep it in all the time and…"

It was here that Elana cut Ash off before he could say anything else. Rage was glowing in her violet eyes and she sounded positively frightening when she declared "Magic isn't forbidden to _anyone_. Who dared to prohibit you the use of your art?"

Ash didn't reply, he just stared at Elana as if he couldn't understand what she was saying.

When he realized that Ash wasn't going to reply any time soon, Aster gently added, "My sister speaks the truth. There are no laws banning magic. How could there be when everyone has it? They'd be impossible to enforce."

"Everyone?" Ash asked with a voice full of doubt as he looked between the pond, Aster, and Elana as if they were pieces to a grand puzzle.

"Of course," Elana replied and Aster was grateful to hear that most of the anger had left her voice.

"But I've only ever seen my master use it. No one else that I know has magic," Ash protested as he focused his gaze on Elana and silently begged her to explain.

The princess did just that. "Well, most people aren't very strong and their magic is quite limited. It's rare for a commoner to be able to do little more than the most basic arts and, even then, most don't seek out training. They just ignore their magic or use their innate abilities. Who told you that magic was forbidden?"

"My master. I was a child and he…" Ash trailed off and then shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He probably meant it as a joke."

No one seemed to know what to say and all three of them remained silent for a long while until Ash finally said, "Hey, didn't you say you needed to look for something? You should probably go and do that if you want me to stay with Elana. It's getting late, after all, and I need to be up early to serve my master breakfast."

Aster nodded and then hurried off into the woods to search for a good spot as he tried to ignore the fact that, somewhere between their initial fight and Ash's freakout, he'd stopped considering the servant an annoyance and starting to look at the young man as a something almost like a friend.

* * *

It didn't take Aster long to find what he was looking for: a small clearing with almost no plant life. Within a few minutes of finding the spot, the price had cleared the area of any worrisome vegetation and headed back towards the pond where Elana and Ash were waiting.

When he arrived, Elana stood up from the rock she'd been sitting on and Ash rose with her, smiling at Aster as he did so.

"That was pretty quick, Charming."

Aster rolled his eyes at the nickname, but he was smiling when he replied, "I knew what I was looking for, so it didn't take me long to find it, but now we had best be heading back. Come on, Elana."

The princess nodded in agreement and then turned to Ash, curtsying lightly as she said, "It was lovely to meet you."

The motion made Ash smile and he bowed to the princess as he replied, "And you as well. I cannot remember a more pleasant evening."

Then he glanced over at Aster and gave the prince a warm smile that for some reason made Aster's heart skip a beat. He ignored the strange reaction and smiled back as Elana walked across the ground and came to a stop at her brother's side, clearly waiting for Aster to lead the way.

Aster started to do just that, but then he stopped as a thought struck him. As much as he'd protested it to his mother, he was worried about Elana serving as his guardian and it would be nice for her to have someone to talk to… After quickly pushing aside the small voice that insisted on adding that it would also be nice to see Ash again, the prince glanced back at the servant and said, "We'll be back in three weeks' time and, if you think you can be here again, I'm sure Elana would enjoy the company."

Ash looked startled at the invitation and also a little nervous, but he nodded and replied, "I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to be here."

Aster smiled. "Well, that's all anyone can ask."

Then he started off into the wood, pointedly ignoring the odd look Elana was giving him as she followed along behind.


	8. And Again

The door to Aster's room was gently pushed opened, though that didn't stop it from making a soft, scraping noise as it dragged against the carper, drawing Aster's focus from his papers to the figure in the doorway.

As soon as he saw who it was, he let out a low groan and said, "Elana, would you please let it go?"

"No, I don't think I will," the princess replied as she walked to her brother's side. "I want to talk about him and you keep avoiding me."

"What is there to even talk about? He's just some random servant who happened to prove mildly interesting."

"And yet you asked him to meet us again. That's not like you, brother mine."

Aster sighed and ran his hand down his face as he tried to figure out what to say because the truth was that Elana was absolutely correct. None of this was like him. He'd avoided making friends since... Well, you only had to lose a friend once to realize what a terrible idea it was to have them around. It had certainly helped that none of the nearby nobility had children of his own age. The closest was Lord Parson's daughter, Cynthia, and she was five years Aster's junior.

Now that Aster thought about it, Ash was probably the first person of his own age with that Aster had engaged in a real conversation with, unless one counted the mindless drivel that the prince usually ended up talking about at parties. A real conversation…

There was something that had been bothering him ever since they'd met Ash and now he realized what it was. "Elana?"

"Yes?"

Aster looked up at his sister as a puzzled frown stole across his face. "Have you ever heard another servant speak as Ash spoke?"

The princess cocked her head to the side as she tried to understand what Aster meant, but she couldn't figure it out, so she was forced to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he was quite well spoken for a servant."

Elana tried to think back on their conversation by the pond, but nothing stood out to her. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Aster sighed and leaned back in his seat as he tried to decide how to phrase this so that his sister understood what he meant. "I mean, he referred to his 'resplendent wardrobe' and spoke as if he was a courtier. I don't think most of our servants would be able to do that and they're all palace trained."

Elana's emerald eyes widened as Aster spoke and, as soon as he'd finished, she said, "You're right! I didn't notice because we did the same."

Now it was Aster's turn to be confused and all he could think to reply was, "Huh?"

"I mean that we switched to court speak, matched how he was speaking," Elana explained excitedly; then she smiled and added, "We should tell mother, she'll be quite impressed that we were able to do it without noticing."

Elana's suggestion made Aster's eyes narrow and, when he replied, it was in a low and warning tone, "Elana, we agreed, no telling mother or father about Ash."

The princess rolled her eyes. "I know, Aster. If you'll recall, _I_ was the one who made the suggestion."

The reminder made the prince's frown switch to a sheepish grin as Elana giggled and said, "So, why did you tell him to meet us again?"

"I honestly don't know. I guess I just found him… fascinating?"

"Fascinating?" Elana echoed with raised eyebrows and a hint of disbelief.

"No, not fascinating…" Aster replied; then he fell silent once more as he searched for the right words. After a long pause, he finally found them, "Refreshing, maybe? It's just… surprisingly nice to talk to someone without all the formalities of the palace."

"You mean someone who doesn't treat you like a prince?" Elana asked as a soft smile spread across her face.

Aster grinned back at her and nodded. "Exactly! Which is so odd, because I never would have guessed that I'd enjoy that!"

"You didn't, at first."

Aster laughed. "You speak the truth, sister mine. Had you not been there, I would have had that man bowing and apologizing to me within seconds."

"I know. Good thing you picked me as your Guardian," Elana replied with a wink. Then her smile faded into a thoughtful look as she asked, "Are you going to tell Ash the real reason why we're out there next time?"

Aster shook his head. "No, then he'd know that we're nobility."

Elana pursed her lips and gave her brother a concerned look as she said, "I must admit that the prospect of lying to him does not sit well with me. Ash was honest with us."

"We're not lying to him, Elana," Aster protested. "Lying would be if I told him that I was a simply herb collector out looking for samples in the moonlight, but I haven't. I haven't even given him a false name!

Besides, the next time we see him will be the last, so why should we tell him?"

Elana still didn't look too comfortable with the idea, but she nodded and promised Aster that they wouldn't tell Ash the truth. After all, it wasn't as if the servant really cared about them that much.

* * *

Pippa sighed and glanced around the room, trying to remember if she'd missed anything. She didn't think she had, but the Master had an eagle eye for mistakes and was quick to punish any that he found, so she had to be certain. A swift examination of the room revealed that she'd truly touched ever surface, which meant that she was finally done dusting and could head back to the servants quarters to get started on the Master's laundry.

As she left the Master's room and began to make her way towards the servant's stairwell, Pippa tried to remember if the Master had left any special instructions regarding his clothing. Hadn't he said something about his finest doublet and a party?

Her silent musings trailed off as she realized that there was a strange noise wafting through the house.

It was faint, so faint that she's almost hadn't noticed it, but now that she had, she knew exactly what it was: Ash was singing.

She followed the sound down the hallways and soon found herself standing at the top of the mansion's grand stairwell, staring down at Ash. The brown-haired man was on his hands and knees, busily scrubbing the mansion's entry foyer as he sang and Pippa couldn't help but smile. She didn't know what had gotten into him these past two weeks, but he'd been unusually happy ever since the last full moon.

After a moment's deliberation, she decided that she could spare a few moments to talk and began to hurry down the stairs, only to have Ash glance up and shout, "Stop!" the moment his brown eyes caught sight of her.

Pippa obeyed the command and then treated her friend to a confused look as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"The floor's still wet and your shoes are undoubtedly covered in filth," the dark-haired man explained with a pointed look at Pippa's feet.

The servant girl blushed. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she'd almost created even more work for her already overtaxed friend. "I'm sorry, Ash. I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, Pip," Ash replied with an easy smile. "Why were you even using the main stairwell, anyway? Is there something wrong with the servant's stairs?"

"I heard you singing."

"I was singing again?" Ash asked, looking surprised and also a tad embarrassed.

Pippa nodded. "Are you ever going to tell me what's got you in such a good mood?"

Ash shook his head and grinned. "Nope! It's a secret!"

Before Pippa could respond to that, the mansion's doors were thrown open and Lord Pitchner strode into the room.

As soon as they saw their Master, both servants bowed low. Ash didn't even bother to standing, knowing that the lord would consider such an act defiant.

The lord barely spared a glance at his servants as he made his way through the entryway, headed towards the doorway that lead to the back of the mansion and the room that housed his personal library. It was only when he reached the door and glanced behind him that the lord stopped and looked at his two servants with narrowed eyes.

"Ash!"

"Yes, My Lord?" the young man asked, looking up at his Master with fearful eyes. What had he done now?

"Why is their mud all over my foyer?"

Ash glanced at the area that the lord was pointing at and bit back a sigh as he replied, "It's from your boots, My Lord."

"Indeed. Why is it that you didn't offer to clean off my boots the moment I entered the house?" Lord Pitchner inquired disdainfully as he stared down at the young man.

Ash didn't know what to say, but he somehow managed to stammer, "I, I did not think to do so, My Lord."

"And now that you have?"

"Would you care for me to clean off your boots, My Lord?"

"Would I have mentioned your failure otherwise?"

"No, My Lord," Ash replied before rising to his feet and hurrying to his Master's side. Once there, he knelt down and wiped the filth from the soles of Lord Pitchner's riding boots, ruining the rag that he'd been using to clean the floor in the process.

After he'd completed his task, Ash remained on his knees, awaiting instructions, but none came. Instead, the lord sighed and said, "Honestly, you are the most useless servant a man could ask for. I really don't expect that much from you and somehow you still fail me. I'm afraid that one of these days I will have to come up with a more fitting punishment that a skipped dinner."

His chastisement delivered, the lord opened the oaken door and disappeared through it as he headed off to lose himself in his studies.

Once Lord Pitchner was gone, Ash looked up and glared at the door that the lord had left through. The lord was a _mind mage,_ a master of memory, so how was it that he'd somehow managed to forget that, the last time this had happened, he'd _punished _Ash for offering to clean his boots.

Ash remembered the occasion with perfect clarity as he'd found himself going to bed without his supper for _daring_ to speak to his Master without permission. There really was no pleasing the man.

With that thought in mind, Ash rose to his face and turned to look at Pippa. The young woman was looking at him with a worried frown and so Ash treated her to one of his warmest smiles as he said, "I guess I can't do anything right, huh?"

Pippa's frown softened into a tiny smile as she replied, "At least he told you what he wants you to do next time, right?"

Ash forced himself to laugh and nodded as Pippa bid him farewell and headed off to do the laundry, but inside he wanted to scream. He _always_ did _exactly_ as Lord Pitchner decreed. _Always_, but it was never right.

After taking a moment to sooth his rage, Ash headed off to the servant's quarters to get rid of his now ruined rag and beg cook for a new one.

Once that humiliating task had been completed, Ash returned to scrubbing the floors.

It didn't take long for him to get into the rhythm of the chore and he'd soon let his mind wander off. Unsurprisingly, his thoughts settled on Charming and Lana, his two new… friends? Acquaintances?

The problem made Ash smile sadly. It truly was a testament of how utterly pathetic his life was that the idea of seeing the two strangers again was the only thing he'd been able to think of these past few days, but he couldn't help it. For the first time in his life, he actually had something to look forward to.

* * *

When Aster and Elana reached the pond, they were surprised to find that Ash wasn't waiting for them. As the siblings glanced around the small clearing, Elana asked, "Do you think that he's coming?"

Aster shrugged. "Well, we are quite a bit earlier this time."

"That's true," Elana agreed before asking, "How long until your time arrives?"

Aster looked up at the sky and did a few quick calculations based on the moon's position before saying, "I'm not sure. Probably about another hour, but I'll head out well before then, just to be safe."

"Safe from what?" Ash inquired loudly, making both of the royal sibling jump and spin around with shocked looks on their faces.

As they stared at him, the servant began to laugh, clearly pleased that his trick had worked. Though Aster wasn't pleased with the fact that he'd failed to notice the shorter man's approach, he had to admit that he was impressed, not that he'd ever admit that little fact aloud.

Elana clearly was far more willing to voice her praise for, when Ash finally stopped laughing, she immediately asked, "How did you manage to stay so quiet?"

Ash grinned and motioned to his feet as he said, "One must learn to walk carefully in the forest when one does not have shoes."

The siblings looked down and saw that Ash was speaking the truth. His feet were completely bare.

Aster couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you have shoes?"

"I grew out of my last pair a while back and, well, you know how much shoes cost," Ash explained with a rueful grin that Aster halfheartedly returned.

The truth was that he _didn't_ know. He'd never even thought about it. When he needed new shoes, he just got them.

"Now, returning to the topic you two were so cleverly avoiding, what are we being safe from?"

The siblings exchanged nervous glances and then Aster said, "Nothing that you need to worry about and that's all you need to know."

To his surprise, Ash shrugged and said, "Alright."

When the servant saw the surprise on the prince's face, he couldn't help grinning as he explained, "If you have a secret that you cannot tell me, then you have a secret you cannot tell me. I will admit that I am quite curious, but I will not force the details from you if you deem my unworthy of them."

Ash's little speech reminded Elana of her and Aster's conversation about the servant and prompted her to ask, "Where did you learn to speak like that?"

"Like what?" Ash inquired, cocking his head to the side in confusion as he focused his gaze on the princess.

"Like a courtier. None of the servants we know speak as eloquently as you do."

The question made Ash chuckle and shake his head. "I do not speak like a courtier, Lana."

"Yes, you do!"

In spite of the princess' insistent tone, Ash's smile didn't falter as he replied, "And how many courtiers have you met with which you can compare me? As for servants, you should not compare me with the servants you know as I doubt that those who work in taverns and inns come from the same stock as one such as me."

"One such as you?" Aster asked as he raised his eyebrows and gave Ash a disbelieving look, but it had no effect on the servant who just kept right on smiling.

"I work in a noble house and have since I was born. I must needs be able to speak with a certain level of eloquence to aptly serve my Master."

"You speak like this at all times?" Elana cried as her eyes widened in shock.

Now Ash's smile did falter, transforming into a slightly self-conscious one as he replied, "Well, no…"

"Then why are you doing so now?" Aster inquired with a puzzled frown.

Ash's smile grew even more sheepish as he replied, "Because I did not know how to talk to you two and, well, you spoke the same way I was, so I thought…"

He let the sentence trail off and then shrugged. "I can talk like I do with the other servants if you'd like that?"

"You can talk however you want to," Elana decreed, making Ash smile.

"Yes, speak as you wish, but I'm afraid the only one you'll be speaking to is Lana. I need to head off, but I'll be back within the hour," Aster explained as he inclined his head towards his two companions before turning around and heading off into the trees.

As Aster disappeared from view, Ash looked at Elana and asked, "Where's he going or is that a secret, too?"

Elana nodded and Ash sighed. "Well, I promised him privacy so privacy he shall have. What would you like to do while we wait?"

The princess thought about it for a moment before smiling and saying, "Why don't you show me more of your magic?"

Ash was more than happy to do so and so the duo took seats by the pond and Elana watched in delight as Ash froze the water and then covered the frozen surface with tiny frost drawings.

They would have continued to entertain themselves in this manner until Aster's return if a green glow hadn't radiated from the nearby forest, prompting Ash to jump to his feet in shock and then race into the woods with a cry of "Charming!"

Elana followed at his heels, silently praying that Ash wouldn't notice anything amiss when they found her brother.

It didn't take them very long to locate the prince. Aster was lying in the center of a small clearing, staring up at the stars, but he sat up when the duo burst from the woods. As he glanced between his panting sister and the wide-eyed Ash, the prince worriedly asked, "Is everything okay?"

Instead of immediately replying, Ash stared around the clearing while Elana and Aster exchanged nervous glances.

Finally, just as Aster was going to say something, Ash looked at the emerald-eyed man and asked, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" the prince replied cautiously.

"What do I… Charming, just look at the grass!"

Aster looked around himself and, when he realized was Ash was referring to, it took a lot of effort to keep himself from wincing. Based on the growth, it looked like he was quite the powerful magic user, but that wasn't surprising. The only thing he was worried about was keeping Ash in the dark and so the prince looked back at the brown-eyed man and asked, "What about the grass?"

"Look how tall it is!"

Aster glanced around again and then pretended to not notice that the grass around him was almost six times as long as the grass beneath Ash's feet.

Finally, after Aster's fifth protest that he didn't know what Ash was talking about, the shorter man picked a blade of grass from the ground beneath him and then stalked over to Aster's side, knelt down, and physically showed the prince the discrepancy.

Elana had to work very hard to keep from laughing as her brother forced his eyes comically wide. Though she didn't agree with Aster's choice to lie to Ash, she had to admit that it was amusing to watch.

"I don't know what could've caused that, but the only person that's been here is me," Aster said in his most convincing voice and then watched as Ash sighed and let the grass blade fall from his hand.

Then Ash's lips quirked into a small smile as he said, "Well, I guess the important thing is that you're okay, right?"

"Um, yeah, right," Aster agreed as he treated Ash to a confused look.

When he saw the look on the prince's face, Ash's smile faded. "What?"

"It's just, why would you care if I'm okay or not?"

The smile was back now as Ash rose to his feet and offered the prince his hand, which the prince hesitantly took. As Ash pulled Aster to his feet, the servant asked, "Do I really need a reason, Charming."

Once the prince was standing freely, he shrugged and said, "I guess not."

The two men smiled at each other until Elana cleared her throat and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get going. We've been gone for a while and will be expected back soon."

Aster glanced up at the sky and his eyes widened when he saw where the moon was. He'd known his hour was late, but not this late! Their parents would be starting to worry soon and, on top of that, his party was tomorrow, which meant that it would be yet another late night.

The thought made Aster frown as he looked at his sister and nodded in agreement. Then they both turned to Ash, ready to bid him farewell and thank him for his time, but neither of the royal children spoke when they saw the look on Ash's face.

The servant looked like he was fighting some sort of internal war and, as the siblings stared at him, he let out a small sigh, schooled his face into a smile, and asked, "So, um, will you be coming here again?"

For a moment, Aster just stared at the brown-eyed boy in surprised and then he glanced at Elana. It was a mark of how well he knew his sister that he wasn't at all surprised find her looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Well, if Elana wanted to see Ash again, then Aster saw no reason why they couldn't at least try.

"Yes, I think we will be back."

Ash didn't even try to hide the excitement in his voice as he asked, "Really? When?"

Aster didn't know what to reply as he had no idea what his schedule was going to be in the coming weeks, but he didn't need to. Elana was more than happy to reply, "Five weeks hence on the night of the next full moon."


	9. Then A Grand Party Was Held

"The night of the full moon?"

Elana could tell from her brother's tone that he'd been dying to ask her this question ever since she'd told Ash when to meet them next. Truth be told, she was actually quite impressed that he'd managed to wait this long.

As her amaranth lips quirked up into a smile, the princess turned to face her brother and said, "Mhmm."

Aster frowned. "But why that night?"

"Because it's the only night that moon lilies reach full bloom," Elana explained matter-of-factly, but her words only served to confuse her brother even more.

"Moon lilies? Elana, I told you, moon lilies don't grow in Veran Forest."

The princess' smile grew mischievous as she replied, "I know that and so do you, but mother and father don't. They never go into the forest at night. No one does, really. Can you think of better excuse to leave the palace than going to see moon lilies in full-bloom?"

Aster stared at his sister in shock. Elana was proposing that they _lie_ to their parents. Elana _detested_ lies.

The princess could tell exactly what Aster was thinking just from the look on her brother's face and his unspoken thoughts filled her with shame. By the time she spoke again, her smile was gone, replaced with a look of sorrow. "I thought about it for ages, but this was the _only_ thing I could come up with and we can't just sneak out of the palace. Do you realize what would happen if we did that and were then discovered missing? Besides, it's only a small lie. Mother and father will know exactly where we are and the only thing we aren't telling them is that the thing we're going to see is a person, not a flower."

The prince looked at his sister with raised eyebrows as he considered the seriousness of her tone. He didn't think he'd ever heard Elana sound so somber before. "You really want to see him again, don't you?"

"_Yes_," the princess replied in a voice that sounded almost a little desperate.

Aster's eyes widened and he stared down at his little sister. "Elana, what's wrong?"

The princess frowned and then said, "He _needs_ us."

"What makes you say that?"

For a long moment, Elana didn't reply. She just rung her hand and tried to figure out what to say as the look on her brother's face grew ever more worried. Finally, she glanced up at the Aster and said, "Do you remember when I sensed Ash's will the last time we were here?"

"Yes?"

"There's something there, something in his will, that I've never felt before. It's… sadness. A pervasive sadness that makes me want to be his friend," Elana explained.

By the time she finished speak, Aster look utterly confused. "If seeing us makes him sad…"

"No!" Elana cried, cutting her brother off mid-sentence. "No, that's not it. It has _nothing_ to do with us."

Aster looked surprised now. "I though sensing will just let you know a person's intentions."

The princess shook her head. "No. Will isn't that simple. It's more like sensing a person's emotions and how they relate to certain things. His emotions towards me and you are good ones, or at least they were last time. It's the emotions underneath that where the sadness is."

"And you've never felt something like this before?"

Elana shook her head again. "I've never met someone with such a strong emotional undercurrent that wasn't aimed at something."

Aster thought about that statement for a moment and then said, "So what does it mean when a person has something like that?"

Now it was Elana turn to look confused as she stared up at her brother and replied, "I don't know."

"Have you asked mother about it during your lessons?"

"No," the princess replied gloomily. "If I asked her, she'd want to know the details: where I felt the emotion and who I felt it from. Then I'd have to tell her about Ash."

Aster frowned. That would be a problem. How were they supposed to understand what Elana was sensing if they couldn't ask about it? For a long while, the prince just stood there, thinking. Then he got an idea. "Why don't I ask her?"

"What?"

Aster was smiling now. "If the question comes from you, she'll know it's about a specific person. If it comes from me, I can ask hypotheticals and pretend that I'm just trying to understand how will works."

Elana's lips quirked up into a grin at her brother's suggestion. "Really?"

"Of course! I'm just as curious as you are, even if I wasn't the one who felt the will. Now, come on. We need to get back to the palace soon if we want to get any sleep before this insufferable party."

Elana giggled. "Why don't you like parties, Aster? There's dancing!"

The prince just smiled at her and started walking as he thought about the coming event. Why did they even need to have a party? His mother knew that he hated them and this one was going to be even worse than the others since Aster was to be the guest of honor, meaning that there was no chance that he'd be able to sneak off early.

* * *

"Mother?"

Queen Toothiana looked up at the sound of her son's voice to find Aster standing in the doorway to her personal chambers. The moment she realized that he was still wearing his day clothes, the Queen frowned and gave him a disapproving look as she asked, "Aster, why aren't you getting ready for the party?"

The prince raised his hands into a gesture of surrender and smiled as he replied, "I will soon, but I had a question."

The Queen's frown softened into a smile. It had been a long time since her son last came to her for advice. "What is it?"

Aster lowered his hands and entered the room, taking a seat in one of the chairs as he asked, "What is will?"

The Queen stared at her son in shock. "Will? Aster, are you asking about mind magic?"

The prince nodded and then looked at his mother expectantly.

Toothiana couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Aster shrugged. "Elana and I were talking and she mentioned will, but she couldn't seem to explain it to me in a way that I could understand."

The Queen's confusion faded to understanding. Of course her ever curious son would want to understand his sister's powers. Now that she thought about, she was surprised Aster hadn't asked before. But, then again, he had just completed the ritual and that often raised many question regarding the magical arts.

She looked at her son once more as she tried to decide how to answer his question in the simplest manor and finally settled on saying, "Will is… emotions and feelings, but also thoughts and wishes. The things people project outward."

It was immediately clear this wasn't a good explanation by the frown that furrowed Aster's brow as he replied, "So you can only feel what people are projecting? Then how can you sense if a person's means you harm. Surely they wouldn't project that."

The Queen sighed and tired again. "It's not that kind-of projection, Aster. Projection refers to the things that are on the mind's surface."

The prince's frown deepened. "I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"Honestly, I don't understand it much myself," Toothiana admitted ruefully. "Remember, I'm not a mage, Aster. I'm just a magic user and my studies of the magical arts are quite limited. If you want to know about will, you should ask your uncle or Lord Pitchner tonight at the party."

Aster nodded and smiled lightly as he replied, "Yes, thank you mother, I think I shall."

* * *

Ash and Pippa watched from one of the mansion's upper rooms as their Master exited the house and entered the waiting carriage. Off to yet another party at the palace, the only time he ever seemed to leave the house.

As the carriage pulled away from the mansion and drove down the lane, Pippa glanced over at Ash and asked, "What do you think palace parties are like?"

The man shrugged and treated his friend to a small smile as he replied, "Probably quite boring, truth be told."

Pippa raised her eyebrows and grinned at her friend. "Are you telling me you wouldn't go if you got the chance?"

Ash laughed. "I never said that! I think I could suffer through quite a good deal of pompous conversation if it meant access to the kind-of delicacies they must serve at those parties."

Now Ash had his friend's full attention as she turned to him with an excited glow in her eyes and ask, "Delicacies? Like what?"

The brown-eyed man grinned at her and whispered, "Chocolate."


	10. Where The Prince Learned A Secret

Aster snuck yet another chocolate from the table and popped it into his mouth, savoring the sweet flavor as he once again scanned the room for a sign of his uncle. In all the years that the prince had been forced to attend these silly things, he'd never once realized just how many people came! It was practically impossible to find anyone in this crowd!

"Didn't mother tell you to make sure that you left some of those for the guests?"

Aster glanced over at his grinning sister and winked as he replied, "It's my party, therefore it's my chocolate," and popped another of the delicacies into his mouth.

The princess giggled and shook her head. "I don't think that's how it works."

Aster shrugged and closed his eyes, allowing himself to devote all of his attention to savoring his treat. He must have made a noise of pleasure because, when he finished the chocolate and opened his eyes, he discovered that his sister was covering her mouth with her hands to try and hide how hard she was laughing.

Aster grinned at the sight and asked, "Have you seen our uncle anywhere?"

Once Elana had stopped laugh and restated her ladylike demeanor, she lowered her hands and shook her head. "No, I haven't, why?"

"I wanted to ask him something, but I can't find him anywhere," the prince explained with a sigh.

Elana was going to reply, but then two of the visiting nobles approached the duo to pay their respects to the prince and Aster found himself switching into his courtier person, fake smile and all, as he thanked the couple for their attendance.

Once they'd said their praises and then wondered off, Aster turned to his sister with a sigh. "Why must we have these parties again?"

The princess shrugged and then her violet-eye's brightened as she pointed over Aster's shoulder and said, "Look, there's uncle!"

Aster spun around to follow her gaze and grinned when he saw his uncle standing near the dance floor, talking to some elegant lady with the symbol of a summer mage on her cloak.

Once he's memorized his uncle's location, the prince turned back to his sister and clapped his hands as he let out a enthusiastic cry of, "Excellent! Would you care to accompany me?"

Elana shook her head. "Not if you're going to ask him what I think you're going to ask him."

"Good point," the prince agreed ruefully. "You can stay here and guard the chocolates, then."

With that, Aster turned away from his sister and began to head off towards their uncle, only to have his progress halted by an amused cry of, "You still owe me a dance!"

Aster glanced back at his sister and gave her a quick wink as he replied, "The night is still young, sister mine. You shall get your dance _after_ I talk with our uncle."

Then the prince set off once more, determinedly striding across the room to where his uncle was standing.

As the prince neared the dark-haired man, he called out, "Uncle Sanderson! It is good to see you."

The mind mage turned around and smiled when he saw his nephew. "And you as well, _High Prince_ Aster. To what do I own this pleasure?"

"Pleasure, uncle?" the prince asked.

"Well, you've clearly sought me out and you've never done that before. Thus, unless I am very much mistaken, something is up," the mage explained with a grin as Aster frowned lightly at being so easily called out.

"You are right as usual, uncle, I have a question I wanted to ask you."

Sanderson smiled. "Ask away then!"

"What is will?"

The question made the mind mage's eyes narrow slightly as he studied his nephew closely. After a moment's pause, Sanderson said, "Now, unless I am much mistaken, you were announced as High Prince Aster Somers _di Terra_."

"Yes?" Aster agreed in confusion.

Sanderson nodded and then continued. "Meaning that you are, in fact, still summer marked and your powers have not suddenly morphed to match those of your sister and your mother."

"Yes."

"So why is it that you are asking me about mind magic?"

Aster laughed. "You know, mother said the exact same thing. I did not realize it was so strange to want to know about magics other than my own."

The mage made an amused noise and then said, "Were you your sister, I would not bat an eye at the question, but you are not. You are my nephew and you barely tolerated your studies regarding your own magic. Now you are suddenly curious about other magics?"

Aster smiled sheepishly. "Yes, well, my earlier distaste for the subject was not a reflection of my opinions on _your_ magic, uncle."

The confession made Sanderson frown. "Aster, do not sell yourself short. Your powers are far more useful than mine."

The prince scowled at his uncle's words. "How is the ability to make flowers grow more useful than the power to sense if someone else means you harm?"

"On a personal level, mind magic is far more useful than summer magic," Sanderson agreed, "but we are not talking about a personal level. We are talking about kingship. A king will not always be able to meet his enemies face to face and sense what their plans are. Even if he does meet with them, the most he can do is sense their will towards him, which he undoubtedly already knows.

"Now, summer magic, there's the power of a king.

"When the land is plagued by a blight and all the crops fade away, what good will mind magic be? Can it summon life from the earth? Can it help grow food for a starving nation? No, only summer magic can do that."

Sanderson smiled now and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder as he said, "You should be proud of your magic, Aster. Though you have chosen to not be a mage, you still have the power needed to help your people when nature goes awry."

The prince frowned. "I don't think I'm powerful enough to stop a blight, uncle."

The words made the mage laugh. "You say that now, but you don't really know, do you? You've never tried. I can tell you this just from sensing your magical will, you are already quite powerful and I can only guess at how powerful you'll be after you're married."

"Uncle!" Aster cried as a light blush dusted across his cheeks. "Marriage?"

"Yes, marriage. That weird little thing that you're expected to do one day in order to better bond the northern court to the southern one," Sanderson replied with a wink.

Aster scowled. "Nothing says I have to be the one to make the peace marriage this time. Elana could be the one to do so."

"You would shirk your royal duties onto your sister? For shame, Aster! For shame!" Sanderson teased.

"That is not what I meant and it wouldn't be shirking, it would be _sharing_."

"Just wait until you meet a northern noble of your own age, Aster," the mage advised. "You may swear them off now, but they are charming and beautiful. I would not be surprised if one of them stole your heart before you even knew what was happening."

Aster's smile faded away at his uncles words and his tone was cold when he replied, "How quickly you forget, uncle, I have met a northern noble of my own age."

The prince's statement made his uncle's smile fade away as well and the two men stood together in an awkward silence until the mage's emerald-eyes fell on someone walking behind Aster and he called out, "Lord Pitchner, well met and fair!"

The younger mind mage returned the greeting and came to join the duo.

As Aster looked at Ash's Master with wary eyes, Sanderson said, "My nephew and I were just discussing mind magic. Aster has expressed interest in learning about one of the branches of the triad."

"The triad?" the prince echoed in confusion.

"Yes, the triad," Sanderson agreed. "Also known as the three sides of mind magic: deceptive, sensitive, and invasive. You asked about the ability to sense will, which falls under the sensitive arts and is what my dear sister is currently teaching your sister."

"What did you wish to know about will, Your Grace?" asked Lord Pitchner with a curious glance at the prince.

Aster knew he was in dangerous territory now. He would have to tread cautiously if he wanted to keep Ash safe from his Master's wrath. With that thought in mind, Aster took a deep breath and smiled up at the Lord as he replied, "I wanted to know if will is always directed at something or if will can just be."

The question made the Lord smile lightly. "Ah, I see. You speak of self-direction."

"Self-direction?" the prince queried as he glanced between the two mind mages.

Sanderson answered the question this time. "Yes, if a mind mage senses will that is not directed at a person or object, it means that the will is self-directed and indicates a person's feelings about him or herself."

"Do you always sense those feelings?"

"No, it's actually quite rare to sense them unless you're trying to," Sanderson replied with a smile. "Most people's self-directed wills are constantly changing or quite ill-defined, so they don't stay strong or leave a lasting impression."

"What would it mean if you did sense a self-directed will without trying?" Aster asked as a feeling of dread started to worm its way into his chest.

"That would mean that the person's self-directed will is nearly constant," Lord Pitchner replied. "That the way he feels about himself and his life is well defined."

Aster nodded and thanked the two mages for their time before claiming that he needed to go and find his sister as he'd promised her a dance.

He didn't go to find Elana, though.

Instead, the prince snuck from the room into one of the ballroom's antechambers where he leaned back against the wall and wondered what exactly was so wrong in Ash's life that feeling the other man's self-directed will had almost cause Elana to break down in tears.

* * *

Jack wants chocolate, I want reviews. Please? I'd really like to hear what people think about this story! For all I know, you guys HATE it!


	11. And So The Prince Made A Plan

Aster's body slammed onto the ground and he let out a low groan as the training master stared down at him and said, "Your body is here, but your mind is far away, Your Highness."

The prince sighed, but didn't deny the master's claim. She was right. Ever since his little revelation at the party, Aster found himself unable to focus. His mind was constantly wandering to Ash. Exactly as it was doing right now, in fact, which would explain why he was still lying on the floor.

Above him, the training master shook her head and said, "We are done for today, Your Highness. I cannot teach a pupil who is not ready to learn."

The prince frowned and got to his feet as he replied, "I am sorry, Master Adira, I just have something on my mind."

The woman nodded and smiled softly. "Then might I suggest that you deal with this something before our next session, Your Highness?"

Aster sighed again and then replied, "I shall try."

"And that is all anyone can ask, Your Highness," Master Adina replied with a low bow as Aster began to walk towards the training room's exit where the usual was waiting with a towel.

When he reached the exit, Aster reached out to take the towel from the servant, but then he stopped and gave the man a curious glance as he asked, "What's your name?"

The servant blinked in surprise and then hesitantly replied, "My name, Your Grace?"

"Yes, your name, what is it?" Aster asked with a smile.

"T, Tom, Your Grace," the man stuttered as he stared at the prince in shock. While it was true that Aster was never cruel or unkind to the palace staff, it was equally true that not a one of them could recall a time when the prince had asked their name.

Aster didn't seem to realize this as he smiled and said, "Well, Tom, I have a question for you.

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"What passes for a treat in the village?"

"A treat, Your Grace?" Tom echoed as his eyes grew even wider. The prince talking to him! No, not just talking to him, they were actually having an actual conversation.

Even Master Adina was staring at the duo now as Aster said, "Yes. What is served at your festivals for treats?"

Tom hesitated for a moment and then offered, "Well, my daughter loves the berry pastries they serve at the harvest festival, You Grace."

Aster grinned and clapped his hands. "Berry pastries! Now, there's an idea!"

Then the prince started off towards the training room's door, only to stop, turn around, grab the towel from Tom's now limp hand, and say, "Oh, right, thank you, Tom. You've been most helpful."

By the time Tom had recovered from his shock enough to reply, "You are most welcome, Your Grace," Aster was long gone.

* * *

Queen Toothiana and King Nicholas's quiet conversation drew to a halt as the throne room's door was opened and their son walked in. The Queen was just about to start explaining why they'd summoned him here, when Aster turned to the doorman and said, "Thank you, Arthur."

Then he turned to face his now gaping parents and asked, "Mother, Father, what did you want to see me about?"

Instead of answering her son's question, Toothiana replied, "You just thanked the doorman."

Aster nodded and shrugged as he explained, "Well, he did open the door for me and it seemed like the polite thing to do."

The Queen didn't even know what to say about that, so she moved on to her next point. "You thanked him by _name_."

The prince arched his brows as he replied, "Yes? I'm afraid that I fail to see your point."

The King took over now as he loudly exclaimed, "Aster, _how_ do you know his name?"

The prince laughed. "Well it started with Tom four weeks ago and then it just became a thing, I guess. Do you realize just how many people make up the palace staff?"

Neither of the monarchs knew what to say to that. They just stared at their smiling son with shocked looks until Aster finally cleared his throat and asked, "Was their actually a reason you summoned me or did you just want to gawk at me for some reason? I do have an outing I need to be getting ready for."

That did the trick and, after a quick shake of her head, Queen Toothiana said, "Yes, there was a reason we called you here. Namely that I have been reliably informed that you have asked the kitchens to prepare you a basket of pastries for your little outing tonight."

The prince nodded and said, "Well, mother, we are going out to watch flowers bloom. Can you think of a better time for a picnic?"

"I don't think it counts as a picnic if you only have dessert," the King pointed out, but the words only made Aster smile.

"Oh, I think it counts as the best kind-of picnic."

"But, berry pastries?" the Queen repeat as she stared at her son, trying to understand just what had gotten into him that had him looking so happy. Though she would never have called Aster melancholy, before today, Toothiana would also have never called him jovial.

Whatever it was that had her son in such a good mood, it clearly wasn't fading because he just looked even more delighted as he replied, "Have you ever had a berry pastry before, mother? I hadn't! I tried one just last week and they're delightful! Forget chocolate, those are what we should serve at our next party!"

"Berry pastries?" the King asked as he glanced at his wife with a shocked look.

"Yes! Simple elegance!" Aster cried, throwing his arm into the air with a grin. Then lowered his arms and added, "Was their anything else you needed?"

"No, that was everything, darling," his mother replied as she slumped back in her chair and tried to figure out what in the world was going on.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get ready to take my wonderful sister out to see her favorite flower," Aster announced. Then he turned and made his way to the throne room's exit as his parents stared after him.

Though both the Queen and the King wished to discuss the strange change that had come over their son, it took quite some time for either of them to think of what to say.


	12. And Somehow Made A Friend

The royal siblings looked up as Ash emerged from the forest and Elana rose to her feet to great their friend, but Aster remained where he was, seated on a rock by the pond's edge, as he studied the servant that had captured his thoughts these past few weeks.

It wasn't Ash's sadness that fascinated the prince, but the way that the other man hid that sadness. The way that Ash laughed and smiled as he greeted Elana, well, if Aster hadn't known the truth, he would have thought that the servant was perfectly content with his life.

"Is something wrong, Charming?"

Ash's question drew Aster from his silent musing and the prince smiled at the other man as he replied, "No, I was just lost in thought."

The brown-eyed man grinned. "Go anywhere interesting?"

The prince laughed as he shook his head and rose to his feet. "No, nowhere more interesting than here, I'm afraid."

Ash grinned back as Elana excitedly asked, "Can we show him?"

While Ash treated the princess to a confused glance, Aster groaned and said, "You are terrible at keeping secrets, sister mine."

The princess shrugged and began to bounce up and down excitedly as she replied, "Only when they're secrets that are meant to be shared as is this one! Now, can we show him?"

"What are you two talking about?" Ash asked as he glanced between the two siblings with a confused grin, making Aster sigh. After a pointed look at his sister, the prince grabbed a small satchel from where he'd hidden it behind the stone he'd been sitting on and walked over to join the duo.

When he reached them, Aster held out the satchel to Ash who took it and opened it up as the prince said, "We brought a snack."

Ash's eyes widened at the sight of the pastries inside of the bag and then, to everyone's shock, his stomach growled loudly.

As the siblings stared at him, Ash blushed lightly and explained, "I didn't have any supper, so I might be a tad on the hungry side."

"You didn't have supper?" Elana cried, clearly unable to fathom the idea of going without a meal.

Ash shrugged. "I failed to bow low enough to my Master this afternoon and so I was denied my evening meal."

The servant's words stirred up an indignant rage within Aster and it took a herculean effort to keep the anger from his voice when he asked, "You were denied food for failing to _bow_ low enough?"

Ash nodded as his stomach let out another low growl.

As much as Aster desperately wanted to ask the servant for more details, he could see the hungry glances Ash kept stealing at the pastries. So the prince set aside his concern and forced a smile on his face as he said, "Well, it's a good thing we decided to bring a picnic then!"

Aster and Elana had planned to simply share their snack with Ash, but when they saw how hungry he really was, the siblings ended up limiting themselves to a pastry each and allowing Ash to eat the rest.

As Ash swallowed down another bite, he looked up at Aster and asked, "Did you get these from the bakery in town?"

The prince smiled and nodded as Elana shot him a surprised and slightly disappointed look over Ash's shoulder. When Aster had told her of his plan to bring along the pastries, she hadn't been able to understand why he didn't just bring some of their usual treats from the palace. Now she knew and she was none too pleased with the answer. It appeared that her brother planned to continue their little deception indefinitely.

The displeasure in his sister's eyes filled Aster with shame and he found himself unable to meet her gaze any longer.

As he redirected his own gaze to the ground, Aster noticed the pale green ribbon that the palace cook had used to tie up the pastries shimmering in the moonlight and so he picked it up and began to absentmindedly play with it.

The prince's motions caught Ash's eye as he finished off the last pastry and he began to watch the way the moonlight played along the ribbon's surface as Aster twirled it through his fingers.

It wasn't long before the prince noticed Ash's stare and Aster couldn't help but smile as he asked, "It's pretty, isn't it?"

Ash nodded and Aster handed him the ribbon.

The brown-eyed man took the offered gift and the royal siblings watched in fascination as Ash somehow wove the ends together into a simple braid.

"How did you do that?" Elana asked delightedly as Ash handed her the braided silk.

The princess' cry made Ash quirk his lips into an amused smile. "What, you've never played with ribbons before?"

Elana shook her head as Aster replied, "No."

Ash laughed and glanced over at the prince as he said, "I get why you haven't played them, you're a boy, but Lana's the first girl I've ever met who hadn't played with ribbons before."

Within moments, Aster had realized that this must be a game that commoners played and so he quickly said the first thing that popped into his mind in the hopes that it would distract Ash from further questions about Elana's upbringing. "You're a boy, too, and yet you know how to play with them."

The jibe only made Ash smile as he explain, "Well, when you have an older sister, you end up learning _all_ the games that girl like."

"An older sister?" Elana asked as she tilted her head to the side and stared at Ash.

The brown-eyed man grinned and nodded. "In truth, Pippa is just a very good friend, but she's the closest thing to family that I have and so I think of her as sister."

"The closest thing to a family?" the princess echoed as her emerald-eyes filled with sorrow, but Ash only smiled at her.

"It's alright, don't be sad, I don't even remember my real family. Pippa's all I've ever known."

"You don't remember them?" Elana cried, looking even sadder now.

"When I was a child, I got very sick and almost died. Though I survived the sickness, it took most of my memories with it. My knowledge of my family is limited to what I've learned from cook. I know I had a mother who worked as a servant for Lord Pitchner's wife, but I don't remember her. All I really know about her is that she died of the same sickness that stole my memories."

As Ash spoke, Aster felt a familiar ache well up in his chest and, when Ash finished speaking, the prince found himself whispering, "I lost someone to that sickness, too."

The confession made both Ash and Elana stare at the prince with varying degrees of surprise and Aster smiled sadly back at them as he explained, "This all happened when you were just a baby, Elana. That's why you don't remember any of it…

Aster's story trailed off as he momentarily lost himself in his memories. Then he sighed and said, "We were of an age, Jack and I. He was my best friend, my only friend really, but it has been over ten years now and I find that I can barely recall his face."

The prince fell silent once more and, for a few minutes, no one spoke. Then Ash said, "At least you have some memory of him. I don't even remember my own name."

Aster's eyes widened as he turned to stare at the brown-eyed man.

Ash grinned at him and answered the prince's unspoken question. "Ash is just a nickname that cook gave me after I fell into a fireplace."

When Aster's confused stare turned to one of horror, Ash began to laugh, but he was still somehow able to choke out, "It wasn't lit!"

Now the prince was laughing too.

When the two men finally stopped laughing, they fell silent once more and seemed content to just smile softly at each other.

Elana watched this exchange in silence as a slow smile crept over her lips. Well, this was interesting.


	13. Or Maybe Something More

"…if I remember correctly, Jack and I thought we were protecting her. We weren't very good guardsmen, though," Aster admitted.

The prince's confession made Ash raise his eyebrows as he asked, "Oh, and why do you say that?"

"Because, by the time our mother's finally located us, we were fast asleep. I didn't even wake up when my father carried me to my bed!" Aster explained with a grin.

Ash laughed softly and glanced over at the sleeping Elana to make sure that his laughter hadn't woken her. As he gazed at the princess, the servant said, "You may have been a lousy guardsman, but it seems to me that you're quiet the excellent brother."

Aster followed his friend's gaze and smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid that you're wrong. I often take her for granted or forget to give her the attention she truly deserves and yet she loves me anyway."

"I find myself unable to fully believe that," Ash replied as he turned back to gaze at his friend. "I've seen you together enough to know that you care about her deeply, Charming, and do not forget that I gave you your nickname for a reason."

Now it was Aster's turn to laugh as he shook his head and said, "I thought you gave me that title because of my positively horrendous treatment of you during our first meeting."

"Well, yes," Ash admitted with a grin that quickly changed to a timed smile as he added, "As it turns out, though, it is not quite as ill-suited a name as I first thought it was. Now that I've gotten to really know you, I must admit that I find 'Charming' to be a rather befitting title."

The servant's statement made Aster blush crimson as he averted his gaze from Ash's, making the other man chuckle. Then Ash leaned back so that he was gazing up at the stars.

As he looked up at the celestial lights, Ash suddenly frowned and said, "Say, don't you need to go off and do something?"

"No, not this time," Aster admitted with a shrug that made Ash's frown change from a worried one to a confused one as he turned his gaze from the sky to the prince.

"Then I find myself having to ask the obvious question: why are you here?"

Aster was silent for a moment as he tried to decide what to say without telling Ash about what Elana had felt within the servant's will. As he considered what to say, the prince glanced over as his sleeping sister and, as he looked at her peacefully face, he decided he might as well tell Ash something close to the truth. "It seems that someone has grown quite fond of you."

Ash followed the prince's gaze and then smiled. "I must admit that I've grown quite fond of her, too."

Then he looked back at the prince and asked, "Does this mean that I'll get to see you again?"

Aster knew that, if she were awake, Elana would have said yes and told Ash to meet them at the next full moon, but the prince found that he didn't want to wait that long. Four weeks without seeing Ash suddenly seemed an unimaginable burned and so he replied, "Actually, the next time we'll be coming this way is in two weeks' time on the night of the new moon. At least, we will if you think you'll be able to meet us?"

Ash grinned as their eyes met and something strange and unnamable seemed to wind its way around the two men. The odd sensation made Ash's heart begin to race as he whispered, "I think that could be arranged."

Aster smiled back shyly as he tried to ignore the way his stomach was roiling. Had something been wrong with the pastries? And why did Ash suddenly look so breathtaking in the moonlight?

The moment ended just as abruptly as it had started when the hooting of an owl drew both men's gazes to the forest.

When they looked back at each other, they both grinned nervously and then quickly got to their feet as they purposely ignored the moment that had just passed between them.

After bushing the dirt from his trousers, Aster walked over to his sleeping sister, knelt down, and then gently shook her, but Elana batted his hand away and pulled the edges of her cloak tighter as she made a sleepy noise that made both of the men smile.

When Aster tried again, he whispered, "Come on, Lana, you need to wake up long enough to climb onto my back and then you can go back to sleep while I carry you home."

The princess moaned lightly and cracked her eyes open before nodding sleepily and letting Aster help her to her feet. Once he was sure she was standing somewhat steadily, Aster knelt down and then hoisted her onto his back. Within moments, the princess had cuddled into her brother's warmth and fallen back asleep.

As soon as he was certain that Elana was securely situated on his back, Aster glanced over at Ash and treated the other man to a small smile.

Ash smiled back and silently waved goodbye as the ebony-haired man turned around and walked into the forest.

Once his friend was gone, the servant turned so that he could look around the clearing. There was nothing there to indicate that anyone had ever set foot in this tiny glade. Nothing except for…

Ash's thoughts trailed off when he noticed something shimmering in the moonlight and he walked over to pick it up.

It was the ribbon that Charming had been playing with earlier.

The brown-haired man ran his fingers along the ribbon's silky surface and wondered for the first time why Charming and Lana had used so lovely a ribbon to tie up their foot. A treasure such as this was certain to have cost them a pretty penny at the market, if indeed they even sold anything this fine there.

Where had this come from?

Then Ash smiled. What did it matter where the ribbon had come from? It was quite clear from the Charming's actions that he didn't care what happened to it so what harm would there be if Ash kept the ribbon.

A blush stole over his cheeks at the thought and he couldn't understand why, but that didn't stop him from gently braiding the ribbon into a tiny packet and then carefully placing it in the tattered pocket of pants.

As he walked home, Ash found himself constantly reaching into that pocket and checking to make sure that the ribbon hadn't fallen out and it was this obsession with the ribbon that kept him from noticing that something was odd when he reentered Lord Pitchner's mansion.

It was only when he turned around from locking the door and glanced towards the entrance to the servant's quarters that he noticed Pippa leaning against the doorframe and staring at him.


	14. But Nothing Is Ever Perfect

Ash froze the moment that he saw her and began to brace himself for some form of angry outburst, but then he realized that she didn't look upset, just confused.

After a moment of silence, Pippa motioned for Ash to follow her, which he reluctantly did.

He expected her to lead him back into the servant's quarters, but she didn't. Instead, she took off down the hallway that lead into the mansion proper and Ash soon found himself standing in the long-abandoned receiving room next to the main foyer.

Once they were both inside, Pippa carefully closed the door and then turned to look at Ash with raised eyebrows. "Where were you?"

"Out in the forest," he replied as he bit his lip and waited to see what Pippa would say next.

For a long while, she didn't say anything. She just studied him as if he were a particularly aggravating spot that wouldn't wash off of the Master's doublet. The intensity of her gaze made Ash squirm, but then she smiled and said, "So, is this why you've been so happy as of late?"

Ash blinked in surprise at the unexpected statement and all he could think to say in reply was, "What do you mean?"

Pippa grinned. "I mean that you've been meeting someone, haven't you?"

"Well, yes…" he admitted nervously.

Pippa's follow-up question of, "Is he handsome?" left Ash staring at her as he tried to figure out just where this conversation was going.

It didn't take long for him to give up, shrug, and fight down a flush as he truthfully replied, "Yes."

"Oh, Ash, I'm so happy for you!" Pippa cried as she rushed to his side and gave him a warm hug.

"Happy for me?" the brown-eyed man echoed as he hugged her back, but the confusion in his voice was lost on his excited friend.

"Yes!" Pippa exclaimed as she pulled back and stared into Ash's brown-eyes as she asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you'd fallen in love? And where in the world did you meet him, anyway?"

Ash didn't reply. He just stared at her as Pippa's grin faded to a worried frown.

"Ash, are you okay?"

The question drew Ash from his shocked stupor and sent him reeling as he faced the implications of Pippa's statement. Love?

Suddenly, he felt very dizzy.

The next thing he knew, Pippa was guiding him to a seat as he tried to stop the room from spinning quite to fast. It took quite some time for that to happen, but once he was certain that he wasn't reasonably calmed down, Ash glanced up into the concerned face of his best friend and whispered, "What makes you think that I'm in love?"

"You gave up precious hours of sleep to sneak out into the woods and see this man, you're constantly singing, and I've never seen you smile so much," Pippa explained nervously as pressed her hand to Ash's brow, checking for signs of a fever.

The brown-haired man pushed her hand away and furrowed his brow in confusion. "Those are signs of love?"

"Well, yes," Pippa replied with a cautious smile. "What else would they be?"

"But I can't be in love!" Ash cried, sounding almost hysterical, making Pippa flinch and glanced worriedly towards the door.

Then she turned back to Ash and whispered, "Alright, alright, calm down! Do you want to wake the Master?"

Ash shook his head and then hissed, "But I am _not_ in love!"

"Alright, you're not in love," Pippa agreed absentmindedly as she glanced back towards the room's door again, carefully listening for any sound that would indicate that Ash's cry had woken someone up.

"I mean, it would be crazy for me to fall in love with him."

There was something in Ash's tone that made Pippa looked back at him. When she did, she saw that the brown-eyed man was staring down at a pale-green ribbon that had somehow appeared in his hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

* * *

"Ah, here you are!"

The loud exclamation drew Aster's attention from the parchment he was studying to the library's doorway where his mother was standing.

He smiled at her and motioned down at the papers spread out on the desk before him as he said, "Hello mother. I was just working on going through these lists of description of the northern nobles to help prepare myself for Elana's birthparty since you have apparently decided to invite the entire northern court for some reason."

"You say that as if you have no idea why we would do such a thing," the Queen teased.

"Well, it's certainly can't have anything to do with wanting me to choose a bond-mate," Aster replied with a pointed look at his mother.

The Queen sighed and shook her head, but she was smiling fondly at her son by the time she rejoined, "Aster, as you well know, either you or Elana must needs marry a noble from a northern house and we wanted you to have a chance to meet some of them now that you are of age. We do not expect you to choose a bond-mate at this party, but your father and I would like for you to at least try to get to know some of them and see if anyone strikes your fancy. You will be visiting the northern court in a year's time and we did not wish for you to go off to that distant land without at least having met some of them."

"I know, I know," Aster sighed. "I just don't understand why we've keep that silly old tradition. There hasn't been a war between our two courts in over a hundred years. The peace marriage is little more than a formality."

"Which is exactly why we have that tradition, darling. And it's not as if it limits who you can choose from much more than you are already limited by your magic and your years. How many southern nobles are of an age with you? I can only think of two who are both of age and unbound: Lord Overland's son and Lord Proudmore's daughter. Though, if the rumors are true, it sounds as if those two will soon be announcing an engagement, making you the only eligible noble in all the land."

"I could always wait for Lord Parson's daughter to come of age," Aster joked, but it was clear that he understood the reason for his mother's actions when he added, "If these nobles are anything like the one _other_ northern noble I've met, then I am certain I will find it quite easy to fall in love with one of them."

Toothiana's voice had an air of sadness to it when she replied, "Thank you, darling. I know how little you relished the thought of a party, but maybe you will find this one more enjoyable now there are to be unbonded guests around your own age."

Then the Queen lightly cleared her throat and said, "This was not why I can to find you, though. I came because your father, Elana, and I are going out for a ride and this afternoon."

"And I take it I'm expected to come along?" Aster asked as a small smile spread across his face.

Toothiana smiled back. "We would all be most grateful if you did.

Aster stretched and got up from his seat. Then he walked over to his mother's side as he said, "A bit of fresh air sounds marvelous, mother, and I could not think of better company. I will be ready within the hour."

Then he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and set off for his room to change into his riding gear.


	15. And All Actions Have Consequences

Ash sighed and drew to a halt as he finally realized that he had been scrubbing the same bit of floor for almost five minutes now, but that was no surprise. He'd been doing the same thing all week long. Ever since Pippa had told him that he was in love. Love! With Charming! A man whose name he didn't even know! That shouldn't be possible and yet…

And yet he found that it was. There was no denying the fluttering sensation in his heart every time he pictured the other man's face. Not the mention the fact that he found himself _constantly_ falling into daydreams where Charming took him away from all this. Maybe they could have a little house in the village and maybe he could find work at the castle while Charming did whatever it was that he did.

These silent musings were called to an abrupt halt when the sound of something clattering to the ground and an accompanying cry of pain echoed through the manor.

Within an instant, Ash had jumped to his feet and rushed up the stairs towards the source of the sound where he discovered that it hadn't been a some_thing_ that had fallen, but a some_one_.

Pippa was lying on the ground in the second-floor hallway, a dusting cloth on the ground next to her and a tipped over stool lying near her feet.

As soon as he saw her, Ash rushed to her side with a cry of, "Pippa! Are you alright?"

The young woman groaned and then slowly began to push herself off of the floor as she replied, "I think so…" only to cry out in pain the moment that she tried to put pressure on her right foot.

After taking a moment to draw in a few deep breaths, she looked at Ash and said, "I think that I twisted my ankle."

Ash frowned and leaned over to gingerly brush his hand across the ankle in question, then immediately removed his hand when his touch caused Pippa to close her eyes and let out a sharp hiss of pain.

The brown-haired man waited for his friend to open her eyes once more and then said, "Well, you certainly did something to it. Come on, let's get you down to the kitchen so that you can rest where the Master won't have a chance to see and get mad at you."

Pippa nodded in reluctant agreement and then allowed Ash to help her to her feet. He did a decent job of supporting her weight as she stood up, but she still winced in pain when she finally put a little weight on her injured foot.

The wince made Ash frown as a scheming glint flared up in his eyes. The next thing Pippa knew, he'd leaned down and picked her up bridal style.

As soon as the shock wore off, she immediately started to protest, saying that she could walk, but a pointed look from her friend made her stop complaining and sigh. "Alright, but if I'm too heavy, then you had better put me down. If we both get hurt…"

"It's fine, Pip. I know how much I can carry and you're well within my weight limit," Ash replied as he started off towards the servant's stairs.

The words made Pippa smile softly as she leaned her head against Ash's chest, listening to his heart beat as they silently made their way through the house.

When they reached the top of the servant's stairs, though, Ash broke the silence. "I'm sorry that I've been… avoiding you these past few days. I just didn't…"

"It's fine," Pippa interrupted. "I'm know that you'll tell me all about it when you're ready."

Ash nodded and then walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. When cook looked up to see who was there and saw Pippa in Ash's arms, she let out a sharp gasp and then cried, "What happened?"

"I was being careless and fell off of my stool while dusting the lighting fixtures in the upstairs hallway," Pippa explained as Ash carefully set her down on one of the benches by the kitchen door.

Cook nodded and then frowned as she looked down at the injured woman. After a moment, the older woman turned to the young man standing nervously at her side and said, "Ash?"

"Yes?"

"I need more butter for tonight's meal and Pippa can't go all the way into town on that foot."

Ash nodded to show that he understood and then his eyes widened as he realized just what cook was implying. "Wait, you want me to go into town?"

Cook sighed. "Normally I'd send John to do it, but he's taken one of the horses into town to be re-shoed and who knows when he'll be done, so it has to be you."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked as he stared at her in shock.

"Yes. I know that you still need to clean the main hall and now you've got Pippa's work to do, too, but the Master's supper comes before that."

The brown-eyed man nodded in agreement and then listened carefully as cook told him exactly what to get. Then she handed him a small pouch with a few coins in it. After a quick double check with Pippa to make sure that she was alright, Ash exited the manor through the kitchen door and then started off towards town.

As he walked along the dirt path, his thoughts wandered to Charming once more. What would it be like to see the other man every day instead of just once every two weeks? The thought made Ash blush, but he didn't brush it away. He let it weave its way through his mind as his lips quirked up in a soft smile and his heart began to flutter, but it was a wonderful feeling. How strange to think that just a few weeks prior he'd thought of Charming as an arrogant sod and now, here he was, falling in love with the dark-haired man.

Ash laughed, loud and sweet as a bell as he realized that he'd really accepted it. He was in love!

These daydreams kept the servant company his entire walk into town, right up to when he entered into the village's shop.

As Ash walked through the door, the shopkeeper looked up and then smiled when he saw who it was. "Well, if it isn't Pippa's friend! Ash, right?"

Ash nodded and grinned.

"What are you doing here?"

"Pippa hurt her foot and cook didn't want her walking into town, so she sent me instead!"

The shopkeeper laughed. "I bet it's nice to get out of that stuff old manor for once."

"You have no idea," Ash replied as the sudden sound of music reached his ears, drawing his attention towards the shop's windows.

"Sounds like the royals are coming," commented the shopkeeper's son as he entered the room carrying a crate of good.

"The royals?" Ash echoed curiously. In spite of the fact that he'd lived within a few hours' walk of the palace his entire life, Ash had never once seen the royal family.

When he heard the excitement in the servant's voice, the shopkeeper grinned and said, "Yeah, take a gander out of the window and you just might see the prince and princess."

Ash did just that, watching from the shop's window as the royal procession rode past. It was easy to tell who the King and Queen were, the crowns were a dead giveaway, and Ash was surprised to realize that the Queen looked oddly familiar. As he tried to figure out why that was, the answer practically slapped him in the face.

Oh.

The Queen looked familiar because, as it turned out, the Queen was essentially a much older version of her daughter. At least, Ash assumed the girl with the golden circlet was the princess and, if Lana was a princess, then that meant…

Yes. There he was.

Ash took a steadying breath and then quietly asked the shopkeeper's son who the man on the black horse was.

"The man on the… You really don't get out much, do you? That is Prince Aster, our future King!" the other man replied with a grin that quickly faded away when he saw just how pale the brown-haired man looked and he had to ask, "Are you alright?"

Ash forced a smile onto his face and the tremble in his voice was barely noticeable when he replied, "Yeah, sorry, just got a little dizzy spell there for some reason. I'm fine. Perfectly fine."


	16. Thus It Was

As soon as he'd drawn his courser to a halt in the palace courtyard, Aster quickly dismounted and then walked over to help Elana down from her chestnut palfrey as groomsmen rushed from the stables to assist the returning royalty and their escorts. Aster ignored these men, devoting all of his attention to his sister, who he lifted off of her horse and then spun through the air, making her laugh in delight.

Once the prince had placed her safely on the ground, Elana turned to brush her tiny hand along the side of her horse and whisper a thank you to the gentle mare for such a pleasant ride.

While the princess completed her usual post-ride ritual, her brother turned to watch as their parents dismounted their own palfreys and then handed the reins over to the waiting staff before turning towards their children.

When she saw Aster watching them, Queen Toothiana smiled and said, "Thank you once again for joining us, dear."

The prince shrugged uncaringly, but he couldn't keep the smile from his voice when he replied, "It was a pleasant diversion from studying."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me; we should go over the plans for Elana's part soon and make sure that you're both well acquainted with the guests list. After supper, perhaps?" the Queen suggested.

Both of the royal siblings assented to the plan and then watched as their parents set off for the doors that lead into the palace.

As soon as the King and Queen were gone from their sight, Elana turned to her brother and said, "I've thought about it long and hard, but I can't think of a single, good excuse."

Aster blinked in surprise at the seriousness in his sister's tone as he tried to figure out what in the world she was going on about.

When she saw her brother's obvious confusion, Elana sighed. "An excuse for going to see Ash on the night of the new moon, I can't think of one."

The prince though about it for a moment and then asked, "Do we really need an excuse? We can just leave a note in case…"

"Aster!" Elana interrupted. "I am not doing that to mother and father. Can you imagine what would happen if we were found missing? Do you really think a note would make it all okay?"

Aster frowned. The truth was that he probably _could_ get away with just a note now that he was at his full, magical strength, but Elana… Elana was only ten-years-old and her disappearance would have his parents calling out the guards. "Fair enough, what do you suggest that we do?"

"I don't know," the princess replied with a sigh as she glanced over towards the stables where the groomsmen were just finishing unsaddling the horses. The sight made an idea pop into her head and she looked back up at her brother as she said, "We could, per chance, send some sort of letter to Ash and let him know that we will not be able to make the meeting."

Aster began shaking his head before she'd even finished speaking and, when she did, he said, "He's a servant, Elana, he can't read. Besides, we'd have to use one of the palace couriers and then he'd know who we are."

"And that's a problem?" Elana asked as she treated her brother to a disapproving look that made the prince roll his eyes and groan.

"Not this again, Lana! I told you, he doesn't need to know who we are."

"Yes, he does!" the princess cried. "We can't keep lying to him like this!"

Aster's eye's widened at his sister's cry and then he made a shushing noise as he glanced over at the stables, but it appeared as if none of the grooms were listening in on the siblings' fight.

Once he was certain that they were free of curious ears eavesdropping on them, Aster whispered, "We're not lying, we're…"

"Yes, we are!" Elana interrupted as her tiny hands curled into fists. "A lie of omission is still a lie, Aster. If we're going to keep seeing Ash, then we need to tell him the truth!"

"Why? What difference would it make if he knew that we were royalty?" Aster countered and the smirked as Elana struggled to find an answer.

Finally, after long minutes of thinking, the princess glared up at her brother and said, "Because you don't lie about who you are to your friends and Ash is your friend."

Aster stared down at his little sister as he realized that he didn't know what to say. She was right. Somehow, over the course of their meetings, Ash had indeed become his friend.

The prince sighed and then folded his arms across his chest as he said, "Fine, we'll tell him."

"Really?" Elana asked as her violet-eyes gleamed with delight.

Aster nodded. "Yes. You're right, he does deserve to know the truth, but we're not telling him via a palace courier."

Elana started to speak, saying, "Then how…" but Aster cut her off and explained his plan.

"_I'll_ go to the meeting while you stay here. Mother and father won't worry if I'm found missing as long as there's a note and you'll know where I am in case something should go wrong."

Elana frowned at the thought of her brother alone in the forest, but she knew that Aster could take care of himself and so she nodded and said, "Okay, but will you promise to come and see me when you get home?"

The request made Aster laugh as he knelt down to Elana's height and asked, "What, will you be worried about me?"

The princess nodded and then Aster pulled her into a hug.

Elana hugged him back and then the two drew apart as Aster said, "Now, come on, I think that we're both in dire need of baths after that ride. I know you love that horse of yours, but I don't think you want to smell like her."

"Almond doesn't stink!" the princess protested with a giggle.

"No, but she does smell like a horse," Aster countered with a wink as he rose to his feet and held out his hand to his little sister.

Elana happily took the offered hand and then allowed Aster to guide her into the palace.

* * *

Aster let his feet guide him along the familiar forest path as he glanced up into the starlit sky and let out another sigh. He was not looking forward to this meeting. How was he supposed to tell Ash the truth and would the brown-eyed man even believe him?

Probably not, but he'd promised Elana and so he had to try.

Aster continued to debate how to best tell Ash the truth as he entered the clearing where the servant was waiting for him.

The prince smiled when he saw Ash standing at the pond's edge, but instead of smiling back, the other man's face remained expressionless as he dropped to his knees and bowed low while saying, "Good evening, _Your Highnesses_."


	17. That The Prince

The prince could have sworn that his heart stopped when he heard those words and the sight of Ash practically groveling before him made Aster feel sick. Suddenly, he realized why Elana had been practically begging him to tell Ash the truth these past few weeks. He also realized that he owed his sister a massive apology and, well, he couldn't even begin to fathom what he owed Ash.

As this thought passed through his mind, Aster suddenly realized that he hadn't spoken in several minutes and, to the prince's shame, Ash hadn't moved the entire time. Instead, he'd stayed bowed low to the ground, awaiting his future King's instructions.

Aster tried to think of what to say, but nothing came to mind and it felt as if several more minutes had passed before he finally managed to stammer, "I, um, please rise?"

Ash did as he was asked and then replied, "Thank you, _Your Grace_." Then he stood still and silently watched Aster, clearly waiting for the other man to speak.

The prince stared back as he tried to figure out what to say and, eventually, somehow ended up asking, "How did you find out?"

As soon as the last word left his mouth, Aster instantly realized that he'd probably said the worst thing possible. This suspicious was confirmed when Ash's icy-calm demeanor promptly shattered. For a brief moment, the other man looked positively broken, but then rage flared up in his brown-eyes as his hands balled into fists.

When the prince saw the tense way in which the other man was standing, he fully expected Ash's next words to come out in the form of a scream, but they didn't. Instead, the brown-haired man's voice was ice calm when he replied, "How did I _find out_, Your Grace?"

Aster gulped. Somehow, Ash's frost tone was far worse than any scream and the prince found himself braced for an oncoming storm as he hesitantly said, "Yes?"

"You wish to know how I discovered that my Liege Lord was secretly meeting with me in the woods under the guise of being a commoner, _Your Grace_?" Ash inquired furiously.

"Now that I've thought upon the matter at a greater length, I find that mayhaps the details are unimportant?" Aster offered and, when that statement seemed to just make Ash angrier, the prince hesitantly added, "I would also like to give you my permission to address me as a friend?"

Within moments of making this offer, the prince found himself instinctively stepping back from the near-physical wave of anger that his proposal seemed to have drawn from the shorter man.

"A friend?" Ash asked with a smile that made Aster realized that he'd rather be anywhere else, even facing down a rabid bear.

"Well, I do consider you a friend, Ash. In fact, I was planning to tell you the truth tonight," the prince replied hopefully, but it did nothing to calm the other man's rage.

Instead, Ash just folded his arms across his chest and glared, causing the prince to reach into the pocket of his trousers and pull out a handkerchief bearing the royal insignia as he said, "Look! I even brought along proof!"

Ash continued to remain silent, waiting for Aster to say something, something that would make four nights of crying himself to sleep, four days of constant pain, and the endless ache in his heart worth it, but it was clear that the prince had nothing to offer.

When Aster's finally fell silent as his shoulder slumped in defeat, Ash had to ask, "What kind-of sick game were you playing?"

"I wasn't playing anything!" Aster cried out in frustration as he tried to ignore the guilt that was swirling around inside of his chest.

"Then why didn't you tell me who you were? Why did I have to find out by accident? I'm pretty sure the village shopkeeper thinks I'm crazy thanks to you?"

"Wait, why does the shopkeeper think you're crazy?" Aster asked as he once again said the wrong thing.

Instead of answering the question, Ash just stared at Aster and then let out a frustrated groan as he made a strangling motion with his hands before spinning around and beginning to stalk towards the forest.

He hadn't gone more than a few steps before Aster let out a desperate cry of, "Wait!"

The call made Ash stop and sigh before turning around to face the prince as he said, "Charming I, I mean Your High…" The brown-eyed man let the sentence trail off as he let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. "I don't even know what to call you."

"What about Aster?" the prince offered, silently praying that Ash would see it as a peace offering.

For a moment, it seemed to be working since Ash was smiling at him sweetly, but then those hopes were crushed when the servant said, "Aster, huh? Okay. This is out last meeting, _Aster_. I _never_ want to see you again."

The prince stared at his friend as if he didn't understand the words and then he opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again when he realized that he didn't have anything to say. What _could_ he say?

Nothing, really.

The realization made the prince close his eyes and he took a deep breath before looking at Ash again and nodding. Then he turned around and began to make his way towards the path that led back towards the palace.

When he reached the edge of the clearing, though, Aster couldn't help but turn around and say, "For what it's worth, I am sorry. I should have told you sooner. Elana's wanted to tell you for weeks now."

Ash didn't reply though, he just watched silently as Aster smiled sadly, nodded again, and then left.

Once he was certain that the prince was gone, the heart-broken man fell to his knees by his pond and began to cry silently as he mourned for the life that he'd foolishly let himself daydream about, a life that he now knew was beyond impossible.


	18. Realized The Truth

He didn't cry for very long. Most of his tears had been spent over the past few nights and it was only the fact that he'd seen Aster again that had managed to these draw these last few drops from his eyes.

Once the tears had stopped and he was certain that there were no more forthcoming, Ash slowly rose to his feet and began to walk back to his Master's mansion.

The usually brief walk seemed to take an eternity and he couldn't seem to focus on the ground, so he stumbled several times, but he didn't care. What did it matter if he was bruised and scratched? It wasn't as if it mattered what a servant looked like and all he wanted was to get back to the manor, curl up on his straw-stuffed mattress, and sleep for the rest of his life.

When he finally did arrive at his Master's home, though, he realized that he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. If these past few nights were anything to go by, he knew that he'd undoubtedly dream of a life with Aster, only to wake up and remember the truth.

So, instead of going back to his room, Ash found himself sneaking into Pippa's chambers and gently shaking her awake.

Once she'd awoken, it took the woman a moment to realize who was in her room, but when she did, her eyes widened slightly as she whispered, "Ash? What's wrong?"

The young man sighed and then asked, "Can I sit down?"

Pippa nodded and then drew her legs to her chest so that there was room for Ash on her tiny bed.

Once he'd taken a seat, Ash bit his lip and stared at his hands for a moment before saying, "I saw my… friend in town the other day."

"Oh?" Pippa asked curiously, wondering at the sadness in her friend's voice.

Ash nodded. "He didn't see me, though, and… and I found out that he's been lying to me this whole time."

"Lying to you?" Pippa cried quietly. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain, but, well, now that I know what the truth about this… thing, I know that we can't be together."

Pippa pursed her lips and then moved so that she could lean her head against Ash's shoulder as she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I… I don't know," Ash whispered. Then he looked down at her and asked, "Is it possible to hate someone and yet love them at the same time?"

The young women smiled sadly. "You ask me that as if I'm some sort of expert on love."

"You know more about it than I do," Ash countered.

Pippa laughed softly. "That's not saying much."

Ash let out a half-hearted chuckled before sighing and saying, "I saw him tonight."

"And?"

"And I told him what I knew. I asked him why he lied to me and… and…"

Ash's voice trailed off as he wrapped an arm around Pippa's shoulders and then buried his face in her hair.

For a moment, she thought that he was crying, but then she realizing that he was just taking deep breaths that merely sounded like sobs.

After a while, when it appeared that Ash wouldn't speak again, Pippa reached over and carefully took his free hand in hers as she whispered, "Are you going to see him again?"

"I told him that I _never_ wanted to see him again," Ash replied as he pulled back a bit so that he could look into Pippa's face.

The young woman studied her friend and then asked, "And is that the truth?"

Ash didn't reply, he just stared at Pippa in silence and tightly held her hand as he tried to figure out the complicated emotions swirling through his mind and his heart.

* * *

Aster's heart had never felt heavier than it did right now, standing before Elana's doorway and trying to prepare himself to go inside. He hadn't been gone long and there was a good chance that she was still awake. He wanted to run to his room and never tell her what happened, but he'd promised and there was no keeping the truth from her so he took deep breath and then opened the door.

Elana was indeed still awake, sitting on her windowsill and looking up at the stars.

When she heard the door opening, she turned to see who was there and smiled confusedly when she saw her brother. "You're back already?"

Aster nodded solemnly and Elana's smile faded to a look of concern as she asked, "What's wrong?"

The prince didn't reply right away. Instead, he walked across the room and sat down beside her. Then he sighed, looked down at the floor, and whispered, "I didn't tell Ash."

"What? Why not?" Elana asked as she tried to get her brother to look at her.

She stopped trying when Aster somberly replied, "Because he already knew."

Elana's eyes widened and she stared at her brother for a long moment before softly asking, "How?""

The prince shrugged. "I don't know, but I am quite certain that he wishes to never see us again."

At these words, the princess' amaranth-lips began to tremble as tears welled up in her violet-eyes, but before she could really begin to cry, Aster had drawn her into a tight hug, stroking her silken hair as he forcefully whispered, "Please don't cry, Elana. This isn't your fault."

The princess buried her face in her brother's chest and took a few shuddering breaths before pulling back and looking up at her brother in confusion as she tried to understand how she was not to blame.

The prince looked back at her, took a deep breath, and then said, "I am your elder brother and future King, it is your duty to obey my commands and it is my responsibility to lead you well. You did you duty, but I have _failed_ in mine. _I_ am the one who lied, going against your wishes in the process. You wanted to tell him the truth and I wouldn't let you."

Aster sighed and hung his head as he whispered, "It was selfish and stupid of me."

"Selfish?" Elana echoed.

"Yes, selfish," Aster agree. "I was using Ash for my own benefit and it was wrong of me to lie to him. It turns out that I'm quite the horrible friend."

Elana frowned and then wrapped her tiny arms around her brother's neck as she whispered, "I like you."

Aster hugged her back gently as he replied, "Well, that makes one of us."

Elana tightened her grip and then asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Aster sighed and rose to his feet, carefully picking Elana up as he did so. Then he walked over to her bed and tucked her in before silently leaving the room and heading off towards his own.

* * *

The next few days felt like slow torture. Every morning, Aster would wake up and remember what had happened. Every time he did, it was as if someone had run a blade through his heart and he couldn't understand why. Why did this affect him so badly?

He knew what he'd done was wrong, but it shouldn't hurt like this. Nothing had _ever_ hurt like this before. No physical wound, no fight with Elana, not even Jack's death had made his heart ache as it did now.

Aster sighed and leaded back in chair as he tossed aside a sheet of figures. How could he ever be a good King when he couldn't even be a good friend? The though drew up an image of Ash's face and Aster winced at the pain that shot through his chest. Then he closed his eyes and let out a groan. What was wrong with him? Why was his heart torturing him like this? Maybe if he just got it over with and forced himself to think about nothing but Ash then this feeling would run its course because it was quiet clear that ignoring the issue would do no good.

The prince grimaced at the thought of how much this was going to hurt, but then he forced himself to focus on the image of Ash. Forced himself to imaging the other man's smile, his laugh, his eyes, and, when he did that, Aster felt his heart skip a beat.

As soon as that happened, his eyes shot open and his hand flew up to cover his mouth. He felt like he was going to be sick. How had he not realized it? Probably because he had never felt like this before, but there was no denying that he was right. He was in love with Ash.


End file.
